A new crisis:

Landlords pressuring women for sex in exchange for rent due to tenants’ lost income & fear of eventual eviction.

This is illegal & discriminatory— a violation of federal & state fair housing laws. It’s also sex trafficking.

What to do: https://link.medium.com/Td71K0EKw5 

“Safer at Home” campaigns ignore home as a place that jeopardizes women’s lives. There was no plan upfront to prepare for violence from the combo of shelter-in-place, lost income & systemic sexism. Landlords, not just domestic violence, make it hard for women to shelter-in-place.

Hawai’i has paused evictions & the CARES Act makes it temporarily illegal to evict renters in federally financed properties. But you still owe rent, and there’s no official rent forgiveness policy.

Male landlords are taking advantage of the intensifying financial pressure.

It is a violation of the federal Fair Housing Act & state landlord-tenant code. It‘s also sex trafficking under the JVTA of 2015, which expanded the definition of sex trafficking to anyone who uses coercion to solicit an exchange of sexual conduct for something of value (rent).

What should you do?
1. Document everything
2. It’s a good idea to call the police in terms of creating a paper trail that protects you in the future. But calling the police is a privilege that many WoC do not hold. Also, your landlord may feel emboldened if not charged.

3. Retaliation by your landlord for filing a complaint against him is illegal. If your landlord changes the locks or shuts off utilities, you can file a landlord-tenant TRO. Courts are still open for TROs. Pls contact Legal Aid (there’s no income limit for help w housing issues).

4. You should also file a complaint. Normally you should report the incident to the Hawaiʻi Civil Rights Commission but they’re closed during the COVID-19 crisis. Instead, you can file a complaint directly with the U.S. HUD https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint

5. This is also sex trafficking. You may qualify for services at the state’s main sex trafficking service provider. Please call the national hotline 888–373–7888 to report and they will route you to local help. You can report anonymously. They have translators in every language.

6. If you have concerns about your rights and immigration status, please contact Maui Immigration Law at 808–244–5858.

7. Emergency rent assistance post to follow