EDITORIAL
Child abuse center is ripe for a move

When the Children's Justice Center of O'ahu opened in 1988, it was expected to handle less than 500 cases a year. Today, that number has nearly tripled, its mission has expanded, and yet the agency remains in a cramped and aging building in Nu'uanu.

The center wants to build a $12 million facility in Kaka'ako. The Judiciary is asking lawmakers for $3.5 million, and the nonprofit Friends of the Children's Justice Center of O'ahu, which supports the agency, will raise the remainder. The matter will be debated in conference committee next week. It should survive.

Yes, it's another agency vying for public money in lean times. But shouldn't it get credit for kicking in nearly 75 percent of the cost? Consider the center's crucial role:

This is where children suspected of being sexually abused are interviewed by police and Child Protective Services workers. Some children are traumatized and have witnessed domestic violence and other horrors. On the other end of the spectrum, the center handles allegations that are simply not credible, and so the screening must be both thorough and sensitive, which can be tough in a crowded facility.

For the deal to work, the state would have to condemn the Ka-ka'ako property, which is owned by Kamehameha Schools. Fortunately, Kamehameha Schools is willing to give the property up in a "friendly condemnation" because the center has served many native Hawaiian children. Overall, it looks like the planets are aligned for this move, so let's not get in their way.