Interning in Pohang, South Korea

This summer I have the opportunity to intern in Pohang, South Korea. I have worked primarily under two under Regent Graduates who now teach at Handog International Law School (HILS), Professor Collier and Professor Mundy.

Along with teaching, Professor Mundy runs a NGO called the Women’s Hope Center. The Hope Center provides in-client (women who stay in the Center’s housing) and out-client support for women who need help. Whether women are escaping abuse, trying to get back on their feet, or are pregnant and do not have any other support, the Hope Center works to provide not only financial support, but job placement, education, and counseling from a Christian perspective. One of the centers primary demographics, especially for in-client support is young pregnant women.

The center is one of the few (maybe only) Christian crisis pregnancy centers in Korea. Even though abortions are illegal in Korea, they are still widespread and very common. Since the Korean culture is a shame-based culture, even Christian families often encourage their daughters to get an abortion rather to save the family from suffering public shame. The Hope Center works to show that even the women feel they cannot raise a child, other options like foster care, adoption or 24-hour babysitting are still feasible options.

For those that stay in-home, there are certain requirements such as budgetary restrictions and church participation. Every week I get to sit in and participate in the Hope Center meetings, and it has been humbling to see how hard they all work and sacrifice to make a difference.

My research this summer for the Hope Center has been to research and write a paper, which will be turned into a pamphlet, about how U.S. citizens may adopt Korean children legally and get them U.S. citizenship. Korea is very nationalistic, nearly every Korean you meet will be 100% Korean, and all will claim to be. Accordingly, they are very protective apprehensive about letting foreigners adopt their children or gaining citizenship. The pamphlet will work to explain complex law in a simple fashion to Americans who contact the Center, or other places the pamphlet will be distributed, so they can make an educated choice if adoption from Korea is right for them.



As abortion moves towards legalization in Korea, hopefully a pamphlet that lets people navigate the adoption process will make the prospects of adopting from Korea less daunting and will allow for more adoptions. By encouraging and making the path to adoptions easier, these young women will see they can still give their children a good life and alleviate a lot of the family pressure.
I work with two other Co-workers, the counselor Grace and office manager Wade. Both have been extremely welcoming to me. They have taken me out to try new Korean foods and even prepared food for me as well. Wade and I have also taken up table tennis once a week after work as well. To be able to help a center work to save lives and rescue young women in such an apparent way, with such great people, has been a blessing and an opportunity I am truly grateful for.

I have also been able to learn and explore much more about Korea. I lived in Korea previously for a year. Before I lived near Seoul and while I got to experience Korean culture, Seoul is still very Westernized. In Pohang, I have gotten to see more traditional temples and food, and have had a more traditional Korean experience.

Along with the Women’s Hope Center I have two other projects. The first is with Professor Collier, a Regent Law School graduate, who now teaches and Handong International Law School (HILS).
I am doing research on the massive Chinese infrastructure plan called “One Belt One Road” and the developmental and legal consequences that will arise from it for Mongolia and Korea. Professor Collier is working on a paper about the project and my research memo will help lay the foundation for him to write his paper. It has been a unique challenge. It is a topic that I had not heard of prior to coming to Korea. Basically, the Chinese hope to spend over a trillion dollars on infrastructure projects throughout Asia and Eastern Europe to link them into trading zones and increase connectivity between them. With this massive project, the Chinese look to pursue economic as well as geopolitical goals. This project will likely be around 25-30 pages when finished.

The other project is with one of the Korean professors at HILS, Professor Won. He is writing a chapter in a book about issues of law faced by different countries around the World. He is a Korean international law expert and has been chosen to write the section on Korea. He has had me find sources and research issues such as human rights offenses, the justification behind the Korean war, and rights of P.O.W.S.

Both these projects have been extremely interesting, and life outside of the internship has been great as well. I would encourage all future students to do this internship, especially those hoping to pursue law internationally. The research topics are all relevant and the teachers are incredibly knowledgeable on the topics. For instance, Professor Won had me read nearly the whole Geneva Convention and then helped talk me through how it applied specifically to the Korean War.

-Sam Kane

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

Summer Internship in Uganda

Greetings from Uganda! My name is Daniel Moxley, and I am currently in Uganda completing a summer internship at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. It has been an honor to participate in the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law Internship and Fellowship Grant Program. It has been a pleasure to meet and work with Justice Chibita, the Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as Chelsea Mack (a Center for Global Justice fellow at the Office of the DPP) and many other attorneys. More importantly, though, it has been a privilege to serve the people of Uganda.

Students from Regent University School of Law in Virginia, Pepperdine University School of Law in California,
and Mekerere University School of Law in Uganda, visiting Kyampisi Childcare Ministries

The Center’s purpose is to promote justice, human rights, and the rule of law around the world, but it’s purpose in Uganda specifically is to end practices such as human trafficking and child sacrifice. The Center may be unable to end these practices itself, but any progress in that direction is well worthwhile. Over the course of the summer, we were able to make progress on documentation of crimes, court filing systems, and prospective legislation that will hopefully address child sacrifice more directly than any existing laws. This work is vital to the justice system in Uganda. Those who contribute to the Center are enabling its interns and fellows to fight crime, and ultimately, to change the world for the better.

I would encourage students to apply for internships or fellowships in the future. The internship in Uganda is difficult in some ways. Interns will be exposed to terrible crimes, will have to adapt to a new culture, and will have to give up opportunities that might otherwise have been available. But they will change the world.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

NIFLA v. Becerra and First Amendment Rights

The following post is written by CGJ Summer Intern Corrie Lee.  Corrie is working with the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates for 8 weeks in Fredericksburg, VA, assisting their attorneys in legal research and writing and serving member pregnancy centers across the country.  

Learn more about Corrie Lee and make a donation to her page here >>

The First Amendment is one thing that sets the United States of America apart from every other country in the world. This amendment allows citizens the freedom to speak messages with which they agree while remaining silent regarding messages with which they fundamentally disagree and do not wish to promulgate.

Perhaps one of the most famous quotes on free speech sums up this amendment perfectly: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

The Supreme Courts' recent decision in NIFLA v. Becerra ensures the protection of these rights nationwide for all Americans.

The Supreme Court made it clear that laws targeting specific groups and the messages they promote are unconstitutional. Legislation such as AB 775 flies in the face of the original purpose of the First Amendment.

Just listen to Justice Anthony Kennedy’s concurring opinion smacking down the State of California’s attempt to overturn the First Amendment by forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to share a message that conflicts with their ideals and principles:

“The California Legislature included in its official history the congratulatory statement that the Act was part of California’s legacy of ‘forward thinking.’ App. 38–39. But it is not forward thinking to force individuals to ‘be an instrument for fostering public adherence to an ideological point of view [they] fin[d] unacceptable.’ Wooley v. Maynard, 430 U. S. 705, 715 (1977). It is forward thinking to begin by reading the First Amendment as ratified in 1791; to understand the history of authoritarian government as the Founders then knew it; to confirm that history since then shows how relentless authoritarian regimes are in their attempts to stifle free speech; and to carry those lessons onward as we seek to preserve and teach the necessity of freedom of speech for the generations to come. Governments must not be allowed to force persons to express a message contrary to their deepest convictions. Freedom of speech secures freedom of thought and belief. This law imperils those liberties.”

The State of California sought to force these pregnancy centers to speak a message about abortion that was contrary to their central goals. The Court stated that California’s AB 775 is unduly burdensome and unconstitutional on its face.

This may seem like a victory only for NIFLA and its centers, but this is a win for all Americans. Indeed, the Court has said in no uncertain terms that they will not allow the government to suppress the beliefs of private speakers or force them to promote a belief that is contradictory to their own.

The Court ensured that the free speech rights of all Americans, regardless of their beliefs, will be protected against unnecessary governmental interference.

The Court has ensured that Americans will not face unduly burdensome regulations on their speech merely because their ideology is contrary to state-sponsored abortion agendas.

Most importantly, the Court established that a state-preferred message shall not take precedence over the rights of citizens to speak freely and with conviction.

NIFLA v. Becerra stands to protect the First Amendment rights of every American citizen—regardless of political viewpoint.

This decision is a victory for all Americans. It allows citizens to continue advocating their beliefs freely and without interference from the government. Rather than protecting the interests of the state of California, the Supreme Court has vindicated Americans nationwide.

Ultimately, the NIFLA v. Becerra ruling represents a victory for freedom.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

Summer Work with the Family Research Council and Advocates for Faith & Freedom

Hello! My name is Julianne Fleischer and I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of Regent University’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law Internship and Fellowship Grant Program. This summer, I am working with Advocates for Faith and Freedom, a Non-Profit law firm in California as well as working remotely for the Family Research Council, a Non-Profit public policy organization in Washington, D.C.

Julianne's Workspace

I am currently working on a project with the Family Research Council in regard to international religious freedom. A number of countries have implemented laws that severely burden religious freedom. I have been researching which countries have implemented apostasy and blasphemy laws and the punishments that are enforced as a result of violating an apostasy or blasphemy law. Apostasy laws make it illegal for an individual to convert from Islam to another religion or to renounce his or her religious beliefs. Blasphemy laws make illegal to publish or state insulting language toward a religion (usually Islam).

The U.S. Department of State publishes a yearly International Religious Freedom Report and according to the report, punishment for those convicted of violating an apostasy or blasphemy law can include marriage annulment, property confiscation, or prison sentences. At least ten countries impose death sentences for those convicted of apostasy or blasphemy.

The Family Research Council in Washington, D.C.

It is a painful reality that there are individuals around the globe who do not have the freedom to exercise their religious beliefs. The threat to religious freedom is not isolated to one region, but is a global threat. Through organizations like the Family Research Council who advocate on behalf of the voiceless and the persecuted, we are able to be faithful stewards of the resources given to us by the Lord to defend religious freedom domestically and globally. Thank you for your continued support!

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
-Provers 31:8-9

Learn more about Julianne and make a donation to her page here >>

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

Interning with Shared Hope International

My name is Amanda Lopez and I am a 2L interning with Shared Hope International in Arlington, Virginia. Through my work as a student staff member with the Center for Global Justice last semester, I had the privilege of working on a Shared Hope project, which opened the door to joining the organization on-site for the summer. I am currently working as a Law Clerk in its Legal Policy Office.

During my time here so far, I have had the opportunity to visit the Capitol for a discussion on the homelessness of our nation’s youth, as well as observing various webinars discussing human trafficking, and specifically child sex trafficking. Shared Hope specifically works with states to try to implement policies protecting and advocating for child sex trafficking victims.

My main project this summer is to research federal legislation pertaining to law enforcement reporting requirements for missing and located children and how states implement this federal legislation. Shared Hope creates ‘Report Cards’ for each state to evaluate the state’s compliance with federal legislation. Reporting requirements for missing and located children makes up Shared Hope’s Report Card component 6.6.

My goal is to assist Share Hope to ensure that component 6.6 is accurate and not duplicative of the federal legislation. It has been truly eye-opening to see how many states do not follow federal legislation. Organizations like Shared Hope strive to ensure such vital legislation is being followed, especially when this legislation seeks to assist such a vulnerable community within our society.

Learn more about Amanda and make a donation to her page here >>

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

CGJ Intern Update from Corrie Lee in Fredericksburg, VA

The following post is written by CGJ Summer Intern Corrie Lee.  Corrie is working with the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates for 8 weeks in Fredericksburg, VA, assisting their attorneys in legal research and writing and serving member pregnancy centers across the country.  

Learn more about Corrie Lee and make a donation to her page here >> 

This summer I am interning at the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates (NIFLA). As of this week, I am officially halfway done with my internship, and I cannot believe how quickly this summer has gone.

Corrie Lee with Anne O'Connor, VP of Legal Counsel for NIFLA, and Tom Glessner, President of NIFLA. 

During my first few weeks with NIFLA, I attended the annual summit at The Founders Inn where the President of NIFLA, Mr. Tom Glessner, was honored for his dedication to pro-life ideals by California’s State Assembly, Vice President Mike Pence, and President Donald Trump. After those few days, I felt energized to get to work more deeply on my projects.

The first three and a half weeks of my internship were dedicated to updating the law in an informational packet that is distributed to pregnancy resource centers focused on historical attacks that centers have come under. NIFLA supports centers across the nation that seek to aid women in tough situations as they contemplate abortion, adoption, or keeping their children. During the last week or so, I have been finalizing details in the informational packet and have started to compile the last two decades of legal tips into topical help guides for the centers. These projects have widened my scope of understanding regarding the legal issues that pregnancy resource centers face and also helped expose me to generally applicable laws in contexts I have yet to study in law school.

Recently the Masterpiece Cakeshop decision was handed down from the Supreme Court, which sent our office buzzing. With the upcoming decision in NIFLA v. Becerra, a case regarding what kind of speech the government can compel, we were all encouraged to see the Court take a stand against injustice. In the coming days, I will make a trip to the Supreme Court to hopefully hear our decision read out loud. We are praying that the Lord would work and that the Court would protect the right of free speech.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

Center for Global Justice Internship Update from Moriah Schmidt in Hawaii

I just finished up six weeks in Hawaii with the University of the Nations Kona’s General Counsel’s Office. I worked on a variety of issues from drafting contracts to researching and writing memos on different topics that affected the organization. The University of the Nations Kona (UNK) has not had on-staff attorneys for very long, though they are a well-established, large non-profit institution with many volunteers and students. I really felt that I was making a difference during my internship, since there were some projects that I got to see basically from the ground up. Until now, I have not had experience working with a non-profit organization, though non-profit law has been a passion of mine since starting law school. I learned so much about what it takes to run a non-profit organization. Here are a few things that I came away with:

1. Good legal work does not always mean that you see the end of the project, only that you have made a step in the right direction;
2. When you seek God first for every decision, asking him what source to use for research, what wording to use in a contract, what decision he wants you to reach, not only does productivity increase, but you are engaging in the practice of law as a ministry to God;
3. God cares about everything, from the biggest project to the smallest detail. He is not bound by space, time, or your lack of knowledge. He can use anyone, anywhere, as long as you are willing. 

It has been a great blessing to work under the leadership of Julie and Allen Anjo, who gave up everything to come serve as full-time volunteer missionaries for UNK (everyone who works for UNK works as a volunteer). I’ve also heard and seen so many testimonies of God providing healing, finances, wisdom, and direction, since that is the way YWAM-ers work (YWAM is over the University of the Nations). Every job can be as fulfilling as this internship was, if God is just put first and all things fall after. I will definitely treasure this internship as a key time of growth spiritually and legally. UNK enables thousands of men and women to encounter God in a real way like never before, going out to the world and making disciples nations. My last Thursday night, at the weekly service called “Ohana Night” (Family Night) we heard from YWAM-ers who would be pioneering bases in unreached parts of the world. It was awesome to see what God is doing in the nations, knowing whatever help I could give this summer assisted these and others in expanding the mission of YWAM “to know God and make Him known.” Please join me in continuing prayer for the Anjo’s and the work that they do at the University of the Nations.

This post was written by Center for Global Justice student intern Moriah Schmidt.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Update from CGJ Intern Jordan Caldwell

Originally, when I felt called to Uganda I was terrified. I kept asking God if Africa was really where he wanted me to go. After all, I am a woman who had never left her country before, going to a place where no one looks or sounds like me. Now that my time here is coming to a close I see His plan was for my good the entire time. I was the only intern from Regent going to Uganda and on the plane ride over I remember thinking, “wow I’m going to be alone”. However, God knew that I didn’t need anyone to come with me because he would bring the right people to me. I met amazing students from Pepperdine University and had incredible hosts at the DPP.

Throughout my time working with the Directorate of Public Prosecutions Uganda, I was able to work in many different departments including Anti-Corruption, International Crimes Division, and the Gender Based Crimes Division. I worked with remarkable lawyers on some unbelievable cases. I enjoyed being able to touch on different kinds of cases because it gave me a wide range of experience this summer.

During my time at anti-corruption, I worked on a case of embezzling government funds. It was a heartbreaking case involving a man around my own age named Samwell (name changed to preserve anonymity). Samwell stole millions of Ugandan shillings (approx. 30,000 USD) from the government in order to pay for members of his family to go to school. I have wanted to be a prosecutor my entire life; however, I was torn in this case because of the mitigating factors. This man was no Charles Ponzi; he was a desperate man wanting to help his family. Because of this, I spoke to the prosecutors on the case. Plea bargaining is relatively new here in Uganda due to the amazing efforts of Jim Gash and Pepperdine University, so I recommended giving Samwell a chance to work off the money he had stolen. The head of Anti-Corruption, Jane, asked me to present my proposal. I don’t think I have ever been so nervous in my life! After the proposal Jane said they would keep it in mind when prosecuting Samwell; he would still serve time but it would be less than what was originally sought. It may seem like a small feat to some, but I felt ecstatic about shaving even a few years off of Samwell’s sentence. Those are years he will be with his family, those are years he will get to be a father not a prisoner.

In the Gender Based Crimes Division I worked with cases including human trafficking and rape. I originally applied for this internship because I wanted to help fight against human trafficking, so I prepared myself for the tough cases involving children being killed for either sacrificial ceremonies or organ harvesting. However, the case I was least prepared for, the case that hit me the hardest during my time in this division, was one dealing with the rape of a young woman. Hope (name changed to preserve anonymity) was home alone on a Friday night as her roommates all went out to a party. She awoke around midnight to the sounds of intruders stealing her things. She tried to stop them but the men threatened to rape her and eventually did, even though she complied with their demands. Once the men were caught, they tried to bribe her into not testifying against them. During her initial statement, she was so broken and weak I was worried she would take the bribe. However, Hope was very brave and told them they had done her a great injustice and there would be no price that would fix it. I was proud of Hope, to see her fight against her attackers and stand up against corruption and injustice.

Because the cases in the International Crimes Division are of a more classified nature, I cannot speak much about the case I worked on there. However, I can say that the team at the DPP working to fight against terrorism is amazing. The case I worked on was high profile and it felt as though the entire country showed up to help fight against these attackers. We had three binders full of witness statements, investigative measures, and donated evidence. One thing was certain in my mind: the people have a zero tolerance for those wishing to attack Uganda.

On the whole, throughout my time here in Uganda I have learned and experienced so much. I have made lifelong memories in breathtaking places with great people. My host, Director Mike Chibita, is one of the most honorable men I have ever met in my life. He is truly a man after God’s own heart. I enjoyed immersing myself in the Ugandan culture and meeting all of the friendly and interesting people in the country. My first time in a new country was definitely a success and I cannot wait to visit again in the near future!

This post was written by Center for Global Justice student intern Jordan Caldwell.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Update from CGJ Intern Gloria Dandrige in South Africa

The case that I am working on with at my internship has made national news in South Africa. It is about the dignity of the unborn child and a mother’s choice to exercise a right to bury her child. When women in South Africa have a miscarriage or their baby is stillborn before reaching 26 weeks, they are not allowed to bury their child if they so choose. Under the law, the child is considered medical waste, regardless of how close to 26 they are developed. The mother is simply left with devastation and no way to get closure.

Understanding that everyone grieves differently, some mothers may want the option to bury their child with dignity. I work with an organization that seeks to give mothers that option, even if the mother loses the child before 26 weeks. I believe that this is a solution that both pro-life and pro-choice supporters can endorse. It is about both the mother’s right to choose and the life of the unborn child. I hope that these women would be afforded the opportunity to tell the medical community that her child’s remains are not medical waste. It is only right. For more details on this issue, see this news article: http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/74c8be004077635e87f1bf3dc627042a/Efforts-being-made-to-amend-law-regarding-stillborn,-miscarried-babies.

This post was written by Center for Global Justice student intern Gloria Dandridge.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

In The Right Place at The Right Time

The following blog post is from CGJ Natasha Delille, who interned this past summer with Gardner & Mendoza, PC on immigration and protection of children.

This summer, a classmate approached me in the library to ask whether Gardner & Mendoza would consider taking on an asylum case pro-bono. The case involved a Christian convert who feared returning to his home country which has apostasy laws. After preparing research and collecting evidence, I was able to successfully pitch the case to the firm’s Immigration partner. Could it be possible that this case is the reason I had to stay and intern in Virginia Beach as opposed to another country this summer?

Click here to view all of Natasha's previous internships >

Natasha with Attorney Mendoza

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student staff member.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.

CGJ Intern Update from Julianna Battenfield

Julianna interned at South Carolina Legal Services ("SCLS") in Greenville, South Carolina. SCLS represents any individual below 150% of the federal poverty level in legal matters within their priorities, including domestic violence, adoptions, immigration petitions, and other areas where an injustice must be remedied. 

Adoption, Immigration, Worker Fraud, OH MY!

I started my position as a law clerk at South Carolina Legal Services (SCLS or Legal Services), a legal aid clinic that assists the poor with legal services, on July 5, 2016. Within a week, I had written the pleadings for an adoption case, an immigration petition, a contracts case, an employment fraud case, and more!

I took this position this summer because (A) I wanted to learn everything I could about civil law; and (B) I love the mission of SCLS. SCLS represents anyone below 150% of the federal poverty level (as long as their case fits within their guidelines) with whatever type of legal help they need. For example, one of my mentor attorneys specialized in obtaining birth certificates and IDs for people who either had never received one or who had lost it and no longer had any proof of ID.

The lack of ID leads to many troubles for the individuals, including the inability to obtain employment, housing, access their bank accounts, and more. It's actually a bigger problem than one might expect. Thankfully SCLS exists to help those individuals access the system, fill out the documents, and sometimes negotiate with the Office of Vital Records at DHEC.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out where the office was! Before law school, I worked at another firm on Main Street in Greenville, SC and would always drive past the SCLS building on my way to my job. I always thought the building was beautiful but I never knew what it was. Then, after I felt led to pursue an internship at SCLS, and indeed after I had already obtained it, I found out the location of the building and concluded that my admiration for the building was not a coincidence.

Legal Services has multiple offices around the state of South Carolina; our office represented Greenville County, Oconee County, Anderson County, Pickens County, and Abbeville and Laurens—effectively, the Tenth, Thirteenth, and Eighth circuits. Subsequently, we spent quite a lot of time in the car driving to court in various locations! I witnessed multiple family court cases, attended a divorce clinic put on by one of the attorneys for victims of Domestic Violence (the only type of divorce SCLS helps out with), attended multiple mediations, and even went to Bankruptcy Court in Columbia.

My favorite case thus far was one of the adoption cases. A pair of grandparents decided to adopt their granddaughter because neither the mother nor the father were in the picture. I had the incredible privilege to write the pleadings, meet with the clients (the grandparents), and attend the Final Hearing where the little girl officially became their daughter. It was extremely moving. And SCLS funded the adoption free of charge for the couple.


Excuse me, Jail Guard, Open my Door, Please.

The second half of my internship was more research and writing oriented—although I did continue to attend hearings and mediation sessions.

The most interesting case that I worked on involved a man who attempted to renege on a contract he had made for a vehicle. The plaintiff was in his 20's and the defendant was pushing 100.

The vehicle was used, and a police officers said that the man purchased a car because in South Carolina, buyers do not have the right to renege on a contract for a used car like they do for other items.

In an unexpected twist, shortly after the man filed his complaint, he got himself thrown into jail in another state for life without parole.

Hence, my legal question became, "Does a prisoner have the right to an Order of Transport if he is the plaintiff in a civil case and the lawsuit is not in the state he is in?"

The research process took me all over the place because although I initially concluded, "NO," it was almost impossible to find a legal document saying so. I did find an answer eventually (which may turn into a law review article later!). Who knew it would be so difficult to find out what rights prisoners have in state prisons . . . .

I then did a research project on intrastate child abduction by a parental unit and read almost every case in the state of South Carolina involving alimony.

Overall, my experience at SCLS was phenomenal, eye-opening, and educational.  My mentor attorneys, Charlotte and Tamika, specialized in family law (representing victims of crime), adoption, housing, employment, and other areas.  I could not have asked for better mentors. They let me draft pleadings, meet with clients, send out and subpoena documents, attend hearings, and more—and I learned more than I could have possibly imagined from them.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Working with LEMU in Uganda

Blog Post from Linda Waits-Kamau, interning with Land & Equity Movement of Uganda (LEMU)

My first blog was about a 66-year-old widow in Lira, Uganda, where Land & Equity Movement of Uganda has a field office.  While I was still serving my internship, I saw a media report and photo of this widow, whose hands and forearms had been cut off allegedly by her brother-in-law because the widow stayed on the land she was living on following her husband’s death.  The brother-in-law took this heinous action in spite of the fact that a Local Chief had agreed (via a Customary Law that is practiced in this area) to allow the woman stay on her late husband’s land.  The Customary Family Land Law in this region allows a widow to remain in her marital residence along with her children.  The brother-in-law was charged with assault and other charges but even a ‘live’ court session posted on Facebook didn’t see justice served for Pasculina Oming, the widow who had been assaulted and maimed. 

Another local Ugandan newspaper (Rupiny) carried front page photos of Pasculina holding up her arms (see Cover of Uganda’s Rupiny newspaper, which has a photo of Pasculina holding up her handless arms).  Pasculina and witnesses testified against Mr. Okech in the Lira Magistrate’s Court, but the case was postponed and the accused was released on bail because the responding police officers who took the report were at a conference in Gulu, which is not far from Lira, on the day of the court hearing. 

A group of advocate lawyers, called Barefoot Lawyers—Uganda, started a campaign for Pasculina on Twitter (#JusticeforPasculina) prior to showing the live Facebook video of the criminal hearing of her attacker in the Lira Magistrates Court of Mr. Okech, which can be found at https://www.facebook.com/Barefootlaw/videos/1032891103456126/ .  The Barefoot Lawyers commentator noted on the day of the live broadcast of the hearing:

“This is a test Facebook Live broadcast for a case we are following… Today we are at the Lira Chief Magistrate’s court to follow up on Pasculina Oming’s case.  

“In 2014, Pasculina Oming, a 66 year old widow was attacked by her brother in law… and her arms were cut off.  All this was over a piece of land that he claimed belonged to him. Today the Lira Chief Magistrates court will continue hearing this case.

“We decided to take interest in this case after it was brought to our attention during our field visits for a project we are carrying out called the Women Property Rights Initiative.” (From ‘Barefoot Lawyers-Uganda’ Facebook post on June 16, 2016 at https://www.facebook.com/Barefootlaw/videos/1032892610122642/?comment_id=1032901380121765&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R0%22%7)

Unfortunately, justice has not yet been served for Pasculina because the case was postponed since the local police officers who took the report of the case were not present (they were evidently attending a professional conference in Gulu, which is not far from Lira in Northern Uganda).  So, the respondent was released on bail and most likely will never be tried if he hides or temporarily leaves the area. 

Under customary law, a widow who was legally married (and sometimes is a wife of a traditional marriage) and her children are supposed to be able to stay at their marital residence following a husband’s death.  This differs from Title Deeds, since land under customary law is inherited by families, including wives and their children.  Despite this protection, many widows are threatened or provoked into leaving the marital residence by land grabbers.  Pasculina had received permission by agreement of the Local Chief in 2014 to stay in her marital residence and her brother-in-law allegedly tried to force her to leave through extreme violence.  This is not uncommon in such cases.   

LEMU has documented the Customary Law, which according to LEMU is practiced by up to 80% of Ugandan land owners.  Land ownership is basically by inheritance from a patriarch to the sons and their wives and children, and single daughters if they have not married (and widows and their children are not to be disinherited, especially from the marital residence).  The problem of land grabbing in Uganda has become a major issue since many widows cannot afford to go to court to maintain their rights.  The Customary Law and local leaders can sometimes assist but in criminal cases at the local level, many land grabbers (as in the case resulting in Pasculina’s assault and maiming) may run away and never receive justice if they are released on bail, as was the case with Pasculina’s brother-in-law.  Now Pasculina must live in fear that her brother-in-law may return and do worse.  In many cases, widows leave the marital residence or land to avoid retribution.  I hope Pasculina will one day not have to live in fear of a land grabber who also took her hands and attempted to take her life from her (as she was also attacked with a machete blow to her head) in addition to having her hands and forearms hacked off.  If such attackers are allowed to take such criminal actions with impunity, then widows and their children will continue living as victims without security or justice.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Summer Internship Blogpost from Debbie Stieglitz: Alan’s Case

This summer, we sent three to interns to work with the Uganda Department of Public Prosecutions (our equivalent of the Attorney General). The following blog post is by one of those interns, Debbie Stieglitz.

Allan Ssembatya was seven years old when he was kidnapped on his way home from school in October, 2009.  When he was found, he was barely alive and laying in a pool of his own blood. His skull had been ripped open by a “panga” (machete), and a section of his skull had been removed. He suffered a deep stab wound to the neck, and was castrated. Yet he was alive.

Child sacrifice is an epidemic on the rise in Uganda. Every year, countless numbers of children are killed by witch doctors at the request of people looking to increase their wealth or power. Individual body parts, most often facial features and genitals, are cut off for ceremonial use in the belief that they will be consumed by spirits, leading to riches or ending of other problems.  Additionally, because of the economic boom Uganda is experiencing, property development is on the rise and witch doctors have begun burying children alive at development sites to bring good fortune.
During my summer internship in Uganda, it was mentioned to me that “when you see all the development around the city, know that it is being done on the tops of sacrificed children.”

As was mentioned in my previous blog post about my internship in Uganda, I had the great fortune of working at the Directorate of Public Prosecution’s headquarters in the capital city of Kampala.  My access to Mike Chibitia, the head of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, was the reason that I was able to help Peter Sewakiryanga, from Kyampisi Childcare Ministries, with his work in trying to bring justice upon these evil witch doctors that brutally dismember and murder innocent children.  To put where I was working in an American context, Mike Chibitia is the equivalent to Uganda what Loretta Lynch is to the United States, i.e., the Attorney General.

When I arrived in Uganda, I had already been working on Hope’s case, which was discussed in my first blog post.  However, my arrival in Uganda was not only perfect timing for my continued work on Hope’s case, but also to potentially help rectify a gross injustice for Alan.

When Alan awoke from his coma in the hospital, after being brutally mutilated, he identified the two witch doctors by name.  At the end of 2009, the trial began against the two accused men.  Alan, at just seven years old, and suffering from PTSD, was required to testify in court facing the men that intended to kill him.  The trial lasted until 2012 because in Uganda it is typical for witnesses and lawyers not to show up, and in Alan’s case there were three separate instances of the judge not showing up to court the day the trial was scheduled.  At the end of the trial, both witch doctors were released.  Neither Alan’s family nor Peter (from Kyampisi Childcare Ministries) were informed of the results of the trial, and up until June of 2016, did not know what the ruling of the case was.  All they knew was Alan’s attackers were back in the village as free men.

Peter had been requesting to see Alan’s court file and the court proceedings of the case ever since the release of the witch doctors.  Indeed, Heather Pate, a former Center intern from 2013, worked tirelessly to find out what happened and assemble a court file.  Finally, after years of sending numerous request letters and going to the court in person, he finally received a transcript of the court proceeding.  He received the transcript after my arrival in Uganda and immediately met me at the DPP headquarters so that I could look through it.  He had not even read the transcript before he gave it to me.  After reading through the transcript of the court proceedings I discovered that the witch doctors had in fact been acquitted of the charge of attempted murder against them.  Knowing the ruling of the court was imperative to know how, if at all, we could proceed in either appealing the case or trying the witch doctors on a completely new charge.

The main reason why the judge acquitted the witch doctors was because Alan’s testimony was not given under oath, because as a minor, the judge determined that Alan did not know what being under oath meant.  Thus, Alan could not be sworn to be under oath.  Giving testimony under oath is critical.  In Uganda, a person can give a testimony without being under oath, however, the testimony will only be allowed into evidence if another person fully corroborates the testimony given.  In cases of child sacrifice this is a major hindrance to justice.  Children are always the victims of witch doctors, and it is often ruled that children do not have the capacity to understand what under oath means.  Without being under oath, another person has to fully corroborate what the child has said in order for it to be entered into evidence.  Here lies the problem: witch doctors snatch children in the dark when no one is around.  There will never be anyone that can corroborate the child’s testimony because witch doctors instinctively do the kidnapping and sacrifice when no one is around to see or hear anything.

In Alan’s case. though, the court made an error.  The judge made her ruling on Alan’s capacity of understanding after stating that she completed a “voir dire” and she found him lacking in capacity to understand what under oath meant.  A voir dire is a preliminary examination done by the judge of a witness (or in this case the defendant).  A voir dire is basically a trial within a trial when it is needed, as in this case, when it was needed to preliminarily examine Alan before he gave his testimony so the court could rule whether his testimony could be under oath.  During a voir dire in this situation, the judge will ask basic questions, such as asking the child what his or her name is followed by questions to gauge the child’s competency by asking if he or she knows right from wrong or the difference between the truth and a lie.  When a voir dire is conducted, it is important that the court transcript record the questions asked by the judge and the corresponding responses of the child.  Should the case be appealed, the appellate judge has the option to look at the responses of the child and can make his or her own determination of the child’s competency, even reversing the trial court’s ruling on the voir dire.

The transcript for Alan’s case did not include the questions from the judge nor Alan’s response to them.  All that was mentioned in the transcript was that a voir dire was conducted, but that is not enough.  Because of this error of the court, an application of appeal was filed stating that the trial court’s ruling should be nullified and the case should be retried.

Currently, the application for appeal is in the court system awaiting a ruling.  A judge will look over the application submitted and make the ultimate decision if Alan’s case will be retried.  It is highly likely that a judge will retry Alan’s case.  Child sacrifice is on the rise in Uganda, and it has become a high public policy concern.  Additionally, BBC has come to Uganda and reported about the child sacrifice problem.  Uganda is a developing country and Ugandans are concerned with how the international community views their country and their people.  This problem is receiving international attention, and the people and officials in Uganda have a real desire to stop this horrific practice so that Uganda can be seen what it really is: a great nation committed to the rule of law and protecting the innocent.

As I mentioned above, I was in Uganda at just the right time, God’s time.

My biggest contribution to the children in Uganda was to be blessed enough to secure an internship with the head of the DPP, Mike Chibita.  It is because of my position as his intern that I had access to the desk of the head of the DPP.  There are thousands upon thousands of cases that come across Director Chibita’s desk.  And while I was there, there were never less than 20 files sitting on his desk every day.  However, I believe God placed me in the position I was in for these two children, Hope and Alan, who have been waiting since 2009 for justice.  God had not forgotten about these children, nor any of the others that are still awaiting justice.

Serving these children has blessed me much more than I could ever do for them.  I am eternally grateful to serve an awesome God and to attend a law school that allows me to serve these amazing children.

Watch a short BBC segment done about Alan here:

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Fighting Sex Trafficking in Israel

Hello! My name is Josue Casanova and I interned with the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ). The first project I did with JIJ was researching how Hamas is using children for child labor and terrorism. 

The second project that I worked on was helping to fight sex trafficking in Israel.  (Read about Josue's first project here.) To begin, I interviewed “Hadassah,” a girl who used to be involved with prostitution and stripping. When Hadassah was younger she started working as a clown to entertain kids. After her boss raped her, she quit and started working in security. Then her security boss started sexually exploiting her, until she was an “unofficial” prostitute. She joined a stripping agency for protection, but ended up being abused by the men she stripped for and raped by her boss. When she went to the police they blamed it on her, saying, “Well, you asked for it.” Prostitution is currently legal in Israel, and many people think that it is just an ordinary job, like working at a grocery store. Hadassah is working to change that. She said that while she was working as a stripper, “I heard people who are against it and [she would say], ‘Leave us alone, we want to work. We’re doing fine.’ And when you get out…you realize that you’re not fine. You need help…You’re not free. You’re a slave. A sex slave.”

JIJ is advocating in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) for a law that would make prostitution illegal, and Hadassah is helping them do it. She’s telling her story to people in order to expose prostitution and stripping for what it really is—slavery, whether physical or psychological—and she’s even helping with the anti-prostitution law itself. Hadassah told JIJ that a lot of the sexual abuse and violence inherent in prostitution is also inherent in other sexual "businesses" like stripping and massage parlors. She pointed out that the proposed anti-prostitution law must include these kinds of sexual "businesses" or else the businesses could get around the law by just having the girls dance or give a massage before they have sex with the customers. By conducting, recording, and now transcribing my interview with Hadassah, I am helping advocate for this law by giving JIJ a written, credible source they can cite.

This internship has been a gift because it has opened my eyes to a lot of things and allowed me to meet people like Hadassah. Please pray for Hadassah and JIJ, that they convince the Knesset to pass this law. Pray for the people who are being used by the sexually exploitive systems masquerading as “businesses.” Pray for wisdom and justice in Israel.

Protecting Land Rights of the Vulnerable

The following post is written by 2L Gloria Dandridge, who interned with Land and Equity in Uganda (LEMU) this past summer.

I joined the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law so that I could gain practical legal experience. I also joined because I know that the Center for Global Justice is partnered with some great organizations around the world. The Center for Global Justice was able to send several students out into the world to intern with its partners. The organization that I was blessed to work with as an intern this summer is the Land and Equity Movement of Uganda (LEMU). LEMU is an organization that uses law and politics to bring change to Uganda by stimulating debate about land tenure and helping to protect the land rights of the vulnerable population in Uganda. They encourage all people to get involved in the fight to protect land rights.

One thing that I appreciate about LEMU is the functionality of the organization. LEMU has a board of directors that oversee the works of the organization, and it does much of its work behind the scenes. The Executive Director of LEMU is accountable to the board of directors, but has freedom to make any necessary decisions concerning LEMU. The organization has four offices strategically placed in different parts of Uganda. Each office has a program manager, at least one lawyer, an administrative assistant, a finance and budget coordinator, and paid volunteers to help with the cases that LEMU receives. During a M&E meeting, I had the privilege to meet most of the people in the organization. In addition to the functionality of the organization, I love that each person working at LEMU works hard to make positive change in the communities in which they work. Each position in the organization is important to its functionality, and the leaders of LEMU are sure to uphold that principle. I am so honored to have worked with such an awesome organization and such amazing people.

My internship with the Land and Equity Movement has given me a new perspective on land and property. As an American city dweller, I think of land in terms of the building built on the land. In Uganda, land is in many cases the only source of income or the only way of feeding one’s family. Thus, the value of the land among the people has nothing to do with the property built on the land, but everything to do with what that land can produce (e.g., food). Also, in the United States, there is only one way to show land title. In order for title to transfer from one person to another, the owner must have a valid deed of title and convey it to the new buyer. In Uganda, however, there is more than one land tenure system. For example, one system is that of customary land title and another is that of a freehold land title. This dual system originated from colonialism where the British had one set of laws and Ugandans had a separate legal system to govern themselves under customary law. After Uganda gained independence in 1962, they adopted the British law as the law of the land, but customary law still remains valid law in the Constitution as long as the customary law is not repugnant to basic principles of equity and justice. Customary law is the law that is known by the people and many of them only relate to the customary law. Despite this, customary laws are not favored by the people in positions of power. 

Because of this dynamic, land laws and land transactions are very complicated. For example, succession under customary law protects widows and orphans on the land even though land passes through the patrimonial lineage. There is no such protection in the formal system. Title to land is only a matter of paper work, and it does not consider anything outside of that. Customary land laws have principles that are designed to consider families and the community at large. Because many of the local community members relate to the customary law, vulnerable people are at risk of being taken advantage. For instance, customary land may be converted to a freehold estate under the law, but a freehold estate may not be converted to customary land. When the land is passed to the customary heir, who then has the responsibility to protect all of the customary owners, the customary heir could get the proper paperwork showing freehold ownership and remove everyone he does not want around. The people most likely to experience an ousting are widows and orphans. They end up having to leave their land, even though they should have been protected and their ownership rights should have been enforced. 

This is a very interesting phenomenon that LEMU is actively addressing. Because 80% of land ownership in Uganda is under the customary land tenure, LEMU seeks to bridge the gap by linking communities to policy makers. LEMU is empowering communities to follow the good practices of customary law, since customary law is officially recognized in the Constitution. Many people in the Western World only see one way of owning land, and customary land is indeed a difficult concept to grasp. LEMU, however, is a local organization that sees land the same way that communities see that land. Because of this truth, LEMU is a very valuable asset to Uganda concerning land disputes. I am so privileged to be working with an organization that works alongside communities to reconcile land disputes, while also addressing legal discrepancies in the system. These complications in Uganda need to be addressed and LEMU is an excellent organization working very hard to make a difference. 

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Fighting to Protect Women and Orphans in Uganda

First Assignment

I spent the summer working with International Justice Mission (IJM) in Gulu, Uganda. IJM has 17 field offices that seek to transform the justice systems in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. IJM Gulu provides free legal work for widows and orphans who are victims of property grabbing. Due to living in a post-conflict zone, many women and orphans have been driven off their land by family members, neighbors, or the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Without their land, many women have no means of provision for themselves or their families. Thus, to protect women in Northern Uganda requires protecting their land rights. IJM has been fighting diligently for four years in Gulu and has helped numerous widows and orphans.

I was in Uganda for almost two months and spent much time traveling to and from work on the back of a small motorcycle referred to as a “boda boda” and eating ground maize called “posho” with “g-nut and greens” soup. More importantly, however, I spent two months interviewing and meeting with the widows with whom we work to hear their stories and prepare reports for our attorneys to take to court.

I was also assigned a project for the office involving Domestic Violence (DV) in Northern Uganda. According to studies, over 70% of women in Northern Uganda face DV in one form or another during the course of their lives. DV constitutes a form of discrimination and oppression in Uganda, specifically Northern Uganda. The predominant ethnic group in Northern Uganda, specifically in the cities of Gulu and Amuru, is the Acholis. Acholi women live with an inordinately high risk of being a victim of DV due to the Acholi custom of treating a wife as property, the prevalence of alcoholism in Acholi men, and the harsh realities of living in a post-conflict zone. Thus, I wrote a memo on the affects of DV on women and how that could be combatted in Acholi culture.

Before this summer, I had very little interest in DV. However, after the research I did in order to complete this project, my life has forever been changed. I have already found places to volunteer in Virginia this year and am thrilled to see the impact that this summer will have on the course of my life.

Second Assignment

IJM has two offices in Uganda, Kampala and Gulu. The Gulu office serves the Gulu and Amuru districts in Northern Uganda. In Gulu and Amuru, IJM focuses on cases of land grabbing that impact widows and orphans. IJM seeks to restore the property, liberty, and security of land grabbing victims in Uganda by working alongside local leaders.

My second major assignment of my internship involved studying succession law in Northern Uganda. Succession law concerns “the transmission of the rights, estate, obligations, and charges of a deceased person to his or her heirs.” Succession law can be referred to as inheritance law.

Uganda's 1995 Constitution guarantees that "[a]ll persons are equal before and under the law" and "shall not be discriminated against on the ground of sex....” Further, the Constitution also provides "[w]omen shall be accorded full and equal dignity of the person with men." However, both statutory and Islamic laws in Uganda support inequality in inheritance.

Often distribution of estates upon a father or husband’s death is left to clan elders, religious leaders, or relatives. In these cases, a widow may not have a voice in deciding who gets the property. Unfortunately, many religious leaders, clan elders, and relatives do not know and do not follow the succession laws of the land. Because many people do not know the laws of succession in Uganda, the property is often distributed based on customary law, or the traditional law of the tribes and clans, which calls for property to be passed down from one generation to the next through male descendants.

When a woman marries, she becomes the property of the male by the paying of the bride price to a woman’s family. By treating the woman as property, the male’s clan can deny her inheritance rights when the man dies and can condition her continued occupancy of the land to her willingness to marry a male member of her deceased husband’s clan. Thus, under customary law if the clan does not follow succession law, the only way a woman can inherit her land is to remarry a male member of her deceased husband’s clan. Unfortunately, a woman may have to share the land with other women as customary law allows men to marry more than one woman. Thus, when the husband dies, the woman inherits only a portion of the property in accordance with the number of wives the man had before his death.

Under Ugandan law, the closest male heir is the administrator and successor of the deceased husband’s land. Therefore, many women do not own property and have no land of their own. Because of the lack of land ownership, a woman often endures abuse and may be driven off the land by her deceased husband’s relatives. A woman may lose not only her land, but also her children. Unfortunately, the Constitution of Uganda and the Succession Act of 1972 as written do not always protect a woman and her inheritance.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

The Complexity of the Conflict Between Israel and Palestine

3L Michaela Pannell interned this summer with Jerusalem Institute of Justice.

This summer while I interning for the Jerusalem Institute of Justice I learned of the complexity of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. I had the incredible opportunity to research the history and basis for the conflict between the two groups.

As Christians we generally (and rightly) fall on the side of Israel because of God’s unique and special relationship with Israel. God indeed promised Israel to the Jewish people and we, as most Christians, correctly view the current situation as the Jews finally “coming home.”

Because of these biblical truths, however, we tend to be blindly one-sided.

“Israel is God’s country, and therefore Israel can do no wrong,” we say. At one point this summer we were talking to a Jewish man recently out of the service; he mentioned that “Israel is the land of milk and honey, but it is only the land of milk and honey for those who belong here.”  This struck me.

Though Israel is in fact given to the Jewish people, it, including its military, is still made up of and run by human beings. As a result, Israel has its faults—just like any other country. As Christians, we should not condemn Palestine for their human right violations and at the same time make excuses for Israel’s human right violations.

In other words, we can be pro-Israel without being anti-Palestinian and be pro-Palestinian without being anti-Israel. Granted, this conflict is far more complicated than what I can write in a blog post.

But, as Christians we must remember that Israel and Palestine are made up of human beings – created in the image of God, and our job is to love and disciple both groups.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

Combating Sexual Exploitation

Leah Oswald interned this summer with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) in Washington, D.C., a non-profit organization dedicated to stopping pornography and exposing the links between pornography and sexual exploitation.  Leah worked in the law center at NCOSE updating and editing the Sexually Orientated Business manual (a manual that is used by local governments to enact ordinances aimed that curbing sexually orientated businesses). 

MENTAL PREP WORK

Today I woke up for work, got ready, and had to mentally prepare myself to go to work at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). While working for NCOSE, the most unexpected thing I have encountered is coming face-to-face with the reality of sexual exploitation. I knew that sexual exploitation existed in various forms, but since I've started working for the National Center, I'm finding sexual exploitation is a much more pervasive problem that many people brush under the rug. And I understand why people are scared to talk about this—it’s everywhere and it’s profitable. Our society sells sex (e.g., Game of Thrones, The Girlfriend Experience, PornHub, strip clubs, massage parlours . . . just to name a few). But here’s the problem I've encountered: sexual exploitation harms women and men in a very real way, and what am I going to do to combat this problem? There are so many ways to get involved but the scary thing is that our society says that sex is great. Sex is what makes us "awesome and sexy" and it's hard to stand up to an idea that is so endemic. So the most unexpected thing here at the National Center isn't the work load; instead, it's learning how to channel my emotional outrage at this sexual exploitation issue into productive counter measures.

And you know, maybe I should’ve realized when I took this position that with “sexual exploitation” in the title, this job was going to be emotionally trying. But in the past couple weeks, my heart has broken repeatedly. The most challenging thing at my externship hasn’t been the onerous amounts of research, editing, and writing; it’s been maintaining my emotional welfare. Here’s one example of why my heart broke: in the Illicit Massage Parlor (IMP) business there are websites upon which, after paying a small fee, a user can search for an IMP, rank it (“it” often meaning the sexual services offered by the women who, by the way, are often victims of sex trafficking) and tell other users about their “service.” It’s sick enough to read reviews by married men complaining about their wife not “giving it up so they had to go here,” but it’s worse to realize that the lingo which pervades this sick group of people is common among everyone. For instance, a user make rank a women “ATF butterface.” This means “All Time Favorite” (ATF) and her body is incredible but her face isn’t so great (butterface). When I read a review similar to this I was sick because I realized that I recognized that term ‘butterface’ from a male who had used that word in high school. But how did this young teen male know this word that is so pervasive among porn users and IMP’s? That’s when it really hit me. The link between porn, the sex trafficking business, and sexual exploitation really is endemic. I don’t know if IMP businesses and the porn industry borrow from popular culture phrases such as ‘butterface’ or if all these people saying the word have been, in some way, exposed to porn and IMPs, but either way, it’s saddening and sick. So, the most challenging thing is keeping my emotional welfare in balance while trying to fight the sexual exploitation of women by men who don’t care about systematically exploiting and raping these women. But there is hope and I can never forget that. There are people out there who are fighting for these women. These women are made in God’s image and therefore naturally endowed with dignity and I pray that someday that dignity will be fully realized and reached.

A REFLECTION

I know I could easily say that the best thing about my internship with the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has been learning how to research and edit . . . but that’s not true. This summer has exposed me to the underbelly of porn. I've seen how porn harms not only women (through sexually exploiting them and often being a link to sex trafficking), but also men, children, marriages, and families. But not all hope is lost. The most rewarding aspect of my job has been knowing that there are people out there who are fighting against porn. The groups who are willing to come together to combat pornography is vast: liberal feminists to religious conservatives. This issue of porn knows no bounds and the people fighting it also come from various backgrounds. So that's the great thing: there is a growing movement to stop porn and sexual exploitation. I am not alone in my passion to help sexually abused women. There are thousands of wonderful women and men out there who are dedicating their lives to helping stop sexual exploitation. In sum, the most rewarding aspect has been seeing a network of people striving together to combat the ills of our society. I've always had hope that people care about others being exploited, but now that hope burns a bit brighter.

This summer experience has opened my eyes to see more evils but something else has also happened: I experienced firsthand the beauty that is a sex trafficking survivor. The best reason I can give for why people should fight against pornography and sex trafficking is in the form of a survivor. If you’ve ever seen a survivor speak candidly about their experience then you’ve seen incredible strength from that woman who has endured so much but come out fighting and alive. It’s beautiful to see how God can restore a woman’s life and make her stronger in the process. It’s an awful thing that trafficking (in any form) exists. But it’s a miracle that we have a God (and people) who are fighting for that trafficked individual.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice. 

CGJ Intern Update from Maitte Barrientos

This summer at the Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts I’ve been able to assist in providing representation and resources to low-income children and youth in immigration, education, and child welfare matters. My experience at the CLCM has opened my eyes to the tremendous amount of immigrant children in need of mental health care and the barriers that they face in accessing mental health services. The mental health trajectories of immigrant and refugee children are diverse.  An estimated 92% of immigrant and refugees deemed in need of mental health services never receive them.  Needed treatment includes high rates of trauma, anxiety, depression, insomnia, nightmares, flashbacks, PTSD, and adjustment disorder.

The immigration process involves separation from country of origin, family members, and familiar customs; exposure to a new physical environment; and navigation of unfamiliar cultural contexts. Stresses in the immigration experience can cause or exacerbate mental health difficulties.  These may have occurred in the child’s home country (such as substandard living conditions), abuse, neglect, poor physical health, community violence, or lack of support.  The high level of potential trauma before and during migration may lead to high levels of mental illness among migrant children and young adults. Common barriers to a child or young adult in obtaining adequate mental health services are distrust of authority, fear of stigma, language and cultural barriers, as well as primacy and prioritization of resettlement stressors.

Working with the CLCM I have been able to assist many children in more than just a legal capacity.  I have been able to assist them firsthand in obtaining health insurance, a therapist, safe home environment, and support from various educative community organizations.

Similarly, I have also participated in opportunities to educate the community in Lynn about their legal rights as undocumented immigrants in areas such as mental health access. As I previously mentioned in my last blog post, Lynn is a very poor community with a high number of Spanish speaking immigrants who lack access to adequate housing, food, and health access.  However, as part of the CLCM staff I feel blessed to be given the opportunity to assist these children and their families in all areas of their lives.  I have been given the opportunity not only to work as their legal advocates, but also as an educative voice in their community.

Working hand-in-hand with these children in the community has made me very grateful for the opportunity I have had to work for the CLCM.

It has been a constant reminder of why I aspired to become an attorney in the first place.  I am glad I work for an organization that goes above and beyond their ethical duties in order to facilitate the tough transition for minors coming from a different country.

This post was written by a Center for Global Justice student intern.  The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.