Post by: Josh Barbosa
Greetings! My name is
Josh Barbosa and I am finishing up my 3L year at Regent University School of
Law. I am originally from Connecticut and came to Regent in large part because
of the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights and the Rule of Law. I began
with the Center in the Fall of my 2L year and have since worked on projects
regarding parental rights in Canada and enforced disappearances in an African
country.
This semester, I have
the privilege of working with National Center on Sexual Exploitation on a
research project that focuses on the ability of child pornography victims to
file a civil cause of action against those who have exploited them. While children
should be the safest when with they are with family, this is sadly not always
the case. Rather, there are many who take advantage of those children in their
care in order to satisfy their own perverse or financial desires. Because of
these depraved individuals, Congress has seen fit to enact a statute that not
only gives a civil cause of action for child victims of pornography, but also
sets a minimum damage amount of $150,000. Although this does not erase the
damaging photos or videos that will continue to haunt the victims, it enables
the victims to find closure and obtain some restitution.
While it has been sobering
to work on various projects over the past year, none has been more so than this
one. However, while it is sad to read cases of so many that have been taken
advantage of, it is encouraging to see how justice has been served in both the
criminal and civil context.
It has been a terrific
experience working to protect the rights of those who have the greatest need
for protection, and I look forward to continuing this work throughout the rest
of semester!
No comments:
Post a Comment