Post by: Lorri Ann Drazan
I am almost halfway through my time serving as a legal
fellow to International Justice Mission’s (IJM) Kampala, Uganda field office
and in reflection my time has been very fruitful. The past two months have been
particularly busy as IJM Uganda has taken on two new grant funded projects that
involve us working closely with the United Nations. The projects will be
implemented primarily in field offices outside of Kampala, but I had the
opportunity to work on desk research to get the project off and running. I’m
looking forward to working more on these grant funded projects that will surely
impact survivors of sexual violence in Uganda.
IJM Uganda works to strengthen the public justice
system that victims of domestic violence and sexual violence find themselves
navigating. Over the past decade, IJM has partnered with the Ugandan Judiciary
to reorganize court registries as part its the work to strengthen Uganda’s
public justice system. Recently I have been assisting with the re-organization
of a rural high court’s registry. Something as simple as a filing system makes
access to justice possible for many victims in rural areas and the dispensation
of justice quicker. An organized court registry also goes a long way in
combating corruption among court officials.
Working at a busy non-profit I am often called upon to
assist with non-legal needs, such as helping our aftercare team. This past
month I assisted one of our social workers with an urgent call to access the
needs of 90+ women and girls rescued from human trafficking that were under the
care of Uganda Police Force’s Criminal Investigation Division (CID). After
meeting with many of the survivors, we were able to support the CID by
supplying basic toiletry items and linens for the shelter on site. I will never
forget that day. I was inspired to continue to fight for justice for the poor
and marginalized. On days when my work is physically and emotionally draining
or when I find myself jealous of my law school peers’ salaries, I will just
remember the smiles of those girls and be encouraged that God will equip and
sustain me.
This post was written by a
Center for Global Justice Fellow. The views expressed in this post do not
necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the
Center for Global Justice.
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