A health survey has found that Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adolescents face the highest sexual violence risk in Hawaii.

Nearly one in eight Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander girls reported being forced to have sex at some point in their lives, in comparison to 8.4% of Asian girls and 11.7% of white girls.

Additionally, about one in six NHPI girls reported experiencing unwanted sexual contact in the past 12 months of taking the survey, in comparison to 9.9% of Asian girls and 14.4% of white girls.

NHPI boys also reported slightly higher rates of sexual violence compared to Asian and white boys, although rates among boys in general were lower overall, the study said

“This research shines a light on a problem that is too often hidden,” said Meripa Godinet, one of the authors of the study. “By naming and understanding these disparities, we can strengthen prevention and support programs that safeguard our youth, nurture their well-being and ensure our communities can respond with care and protection.”

The study was published in JAMA Pediatrics and co-authored by Godinet, associate dean of the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health, and Alex Ortega, the dean.

Godinet said Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth are often overlooked or statistically obscured in health information because they are often combined with other racial groups or excluded altogether.

“This prevents us from fully understanding the scope of the problem and from developing culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs,” Godinet said.

The researchers analyzed data from the Hawai’i Youth Risk Behavior Survey between 2017 and 2023, which included 12,962 public high school students in grades 9-12.

The survey asked about experiences such as unwanted sexual contact in the prior 12 months and whether a student has ever been physically forced to have sex.

The study emphasizes the importance of disaggregated data to identify disparities and develop targeted interventions into specific community groups.

The authors note limitations such as a reliance on self-reported data and the exclusion of private school students, which make up about 20% of Hawaii’s total high schoolers. The study also lacked contextual factors such as family backgrounds or prior trauma.

Still, the findings stress the need for targeted interventions, according to the researchers.

“My hope is that this research spurs state and federal investment in programs that address the root causes of sexual violence among Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander youth in Hawaii,” Ortega said. “We also urgently need sustained funding for school-based counselors and social workers who understand the cultural and economic realities of these youth.”

Maui Behavioral Health Resources officials say they don’t track information on ethnicities or sexual assaults in their work.

But the group’s chief clinical officer Dr. Lisa Ponichter said they do offer a safe space for the youths.

“The goal for all of the adults in this kind of a situation is to grow the youth’s safe adult support and also to support the family if that is indicated,” she said.

Youths who have been assaulted may call the Maui Sexual Assault hotline at (808) 873-8624.