HONOLULU, HI – US Senator Mazie K. Hirono has invited Kalei Grant, Assistant Coordinator of the Hawai’i Department of the Attorney General’s Missing Child Center Hawaii (MCCH), to be her guest at President Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Grant has served as the Assistant Coordinator at MCCH since 2018.

Grant is a Native Hawaiian survivor of sex trafficking and an advocate leader in the movement to combat human trafficking in Hawaii. At the MCCH, the Grant works to protect missing, endangered, and exploited children across Hawaii and to promote public awareness of the problem of human trafficking, while drawing attention to issues pertaining to Native Hawaiian women and girls.

The MCCH is a specialized criminal justice program in the Department of the Attorney General’s Crime Prevention and Justice Assistance Division and operates as the State’s missing-children clearinghouse and as a resource for law enforcement, social services, and families.

“As a Native Hawaiian survivor of gender-based violence, Kalei Grant is working to help combat the crisis of violence against Native women and girls,” said Senator Hirono. “I admire and appreciate her commitment to raising awareness and supporting other survivors, and I’m honored to have her as my guest for President Biden’s State of the Union Address. I’ll continue working with the Biden Administration, my colleagues in Congress, leaders in Hawaii, and advocates like Kalei to advance justice for Native Hawaiian women and girls.”

“Native Hawaiian women and girls experience a disproportionate rate of gender-based violence and alongside the Attorney General’s team, we are committed to providing the resources needed to end this deeply horrifying issue,” said Governor Green.

“Kalei has made it her life’s work to protect and advocate for other survivors of sex trafficking and gender-based violence in our state,” said Attorney General of Hawaii Anne Lopez. “I am proud and inspired by Kalei’s exemplary service to the people of Hawaiʻi and as a proud Native Hawaiian survivor leader on the national stage. We fully support Senator Hirono’s granting this great honor for Kalei’s contributions and for the Senator’s tireless efforts to ensure Native Hawaiian survivors of gender-based violence have access to programs and resources through the Violence Against Women Act.”

President Biden’s State of the Union Address will air at 4:00 pm Hawaiʻi Standard Time (HST) on Tuesday, February 7, 2023.

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Contact Media:

Dave Day

Special Assistant to the Attorney General

(808) 586-1284

E-mail: [email protected]

Web: http://ag.hawaii.gov