Sexual assault survivor from Hawaii proposes new legislation to fill loophole
A sexual assault survivor from Hawaii proposes new legislation to fill loopholes.
By Chloe Marklay
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HONOLULU (KITV) — Nazeehah Khan, along with thousands of others in Hawaii, has experienced sexual assault. Khan grew up in Ewa Beach all her life. She moved to California and came home for a visit in January 2022. That is when she was sexually assaulted and her life changed forever.
She tried to obtain a restraining order against her offender in California and Hawaii but was denied.
Courts said because she isn’t residing in Hawaii, where the assault took place, she could not get a restraining order.
That is what prompted her to take action and create a bill that would help survivors like herself be safe from their perpetrators.
Khan is proposing Senate Bill 1267 and House Bill 752 bill. These will help survivors obtain a restraining order against their offender regardless of what state they live in.
“I haven’t been back to Oahu, which is my home island, since my sexual assault. And if I had my restraining order, I would have gone back. My family is there. My brother is there. My sister-in-law is there. My whole family is in Hawaii and I can’t go back because states are inadvertently protecting their perpetrators instead of their survivors,” Khan said.
Khan is the founder of the campaign “Restraining orders without borders.” This is a group that advocates for the right to protection for survivors of domestic and sexual violence.
“I kind of hoped I was an anomaly and that there was no one else going through this but it turns out 25 million sexual assault victims are dealing with the same laws,” Khan said.
Victims of interstate violence often cannot access restraining orders and police reports. Many assault victims are people in college, living away from their hometown, dating, or traveling from work.
This legislation will give survivors the right to submit themselves to out of state court to get a retraining order that will help them feel safer.
The bills are set to be heard next month by the judiciary committee and Khan will be sharing her testimony.
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