Keith Kaneshiro is the only candidate vying to become city prosecutor who believes state human trafficking laws are lacking.

His opponents, Darwin Ching and Franklin “Don” Pacarro, Jr., say otherwise.

As part of the 10-point questionnaire Civil Beat sent to the candidates, we asked: “Do you believe the current law is adequate to address human trafficking on Oahu?”

Kaneshiro replied flatly: “No.”

He then expanded on his reasoning, saying, “Victims of human trafficking should be included in the statewide witness program that provides for services to these types of victims. In addition, the laws on prostitution need to be simplified to clearly establish the prohibited conduct of human trafficking. The penalties for those involved should also be increased.”

Pacarro, on the other hand, said the issue is not in his jurisdiction.

“Human trafficking across state lines is a federal offense that is handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in their quest to end exploitation of men and women,” Pacarro said. “We do prosecute similar crimes involving forced prostitution under the laws we currently have. However, if a law is deficient, or new legislation is needed, to ensure that young people are not forced into prostitution, we will encourage change.”

Ching echoed a similar response, though he assumed that by “human trafficking,” we were referring to illegal immigration.

“If the question is asking about the illegal immigration activities on Oahu,” Ching said. “Then my response is that the primary jurisdiction for law enforcement activities rests with the federal agencies and laws whom the Honolulu Prosecutor’s office would fully partner with and support.”

The question is of particular relevance as a federal grand jury in Honolulu indicted six people, Thursday, for conspiring to keep 400 Thai immigrants as indentured laborers in what is the largest human trafficking case in United States history. You can read Civil Beat’s reporting of the case here.

Gov. Linda Lingle vetoed a bill in July that would have criminalized the trafficking of sex workers under state law. The bill was opposed by prosecutors and police, but supported unanimously by the state Senate and House.