HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A multi-agency operation, called “Operation Shine the Light,” successfully recovered 10 endangered missing children and youth on Oahu over the weekend.

The effort, led by the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General and the Hawaii Department of Human Services, also resulted in several arrests and investigations into child victimization.

The recovered individuals, ranging in age from 13 to 18, were reported as runaways and were considered to be at high risk of abuse, exploitation, and/or trafficking.

This initiative not only located the vulnerable children and provided them with essential services, it simultaneously deterred other predators.

Operation Shine the Light involved a large coalition of agencies, including the Honolulu Police Department, FBI, U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Secret Service, Army Criminal Investigation Division, Department of Law Enforcement Sheriff Division, Hale Kipa Statewide Trafficking Victim Assistance Program, Oahu First Circuit Family Court, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, alongside other community partners.

According to the NCMEC, one in seven of the more than 29,000 children reported missing in 2024 were likely victims of child sex trafficking. The number rises to 18% for children who had run from child welfare care.

Federal law, specifically the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act of 2014, mandates that state social service agencies immediately report any missing or abducted child in state care to both law enforcement and NCMEC.

Operation Shine the Light was originally launched in 2020 by the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and Missing Child Center-Hawaii.

It serves as a cooperative model focused on the recovery and protection of endangered missing foster youth.

“Operation Shine the Light is a multidisciplinary task force model unique to our state where compassion, focus, attention, professionalism and preparedness all come together to bring endangered keiki home safely,” said MCCH Coordinator Amanda Leonard. “There is no waiting period to report a missing, abducted or runaway child to your local police department.”

Community members are urged to help in the fight against child abuse and trafficking by contacting the Hawaii Department of Human Services hotlines:

• Child Abuse or Neglect: (808) 832-5300 (Oahu)
• Child Abuse aor Neglect: (888) 380-3088 (Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai)
• Child Trafficking: (808) 832-1999 (Oahu)
• Child Trafficking: (888) 398-1188 (Hawaii Island, Maui, Molokai, Lanai, Kauai)

Anyone with information regarding missing children or the exploitation of children is encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at (800) THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678).

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – A new national report is raising the alarm about a sharp rise in Hawaii children living in poverty.

The report by the Annie E. Casey Foundation shows child poverty has risen by one-third since the pandemic.

Nicole Woo, director of research and economic policy at the Hawaii Children’s Action Network, said the increase amounts to about 8,000 more children now living in poverty.

“One of the main reasons for this increase in child poverty is the loss of pandemic supports the federal stimulus and the child tax credit,” Woo said. “Without those kinds of financial supports, families are falling back into poverty in Hawaii and across the country.”

The report also found that without current programs like food assistance, rental aid and tax credits, the number of children in poverty would more than double from about 37,000 to 84,000, or one in four keiki statewide.

“Parents are struggling between paying for food, paying for rent and all those crucial things that keiki need to thrive,” Woo said.

That includes families like Mia Hall’s. The military spouse and family engagement specialist says her household falls under what Aloha United Way calls an ALICE family: asset limited, income constrained, yet employed.

She says the ongoing government shutdown has made life even harder.

“We do live paycheck to paycheck, which is true for a lot of families in Hawaii,” Hall said. “I have a second part-time job, but it’s still not enough to make up for the loss we’d experience if my husband didn’t get paid.”

Hall says the shutdown also disrupted care for her son, who has autism and Tourette’s syndrome.

“They just cut off all the therapies for my son, his occupational therapy, his physical therapy everything he needs,” she said.

The Hawaii Children’s Action Network encourages families in need to visit hawaiifoodhelp.com, which connects residents to programs such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children), and free school meals.

Copyright 2025 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.