CGJ Student Staff Projects for Fall 2017

We wanted to provide a brief update on the work of the Center this semester. Every semester the Center for Global Justice student staff completes legal projects for other organizations.

Currently, we are working on a number of important projects, and we welcome your prayers for each. The projects are listed based on the organization for whom the project is done and the human rights issue that it covers:

1. Shared Hope: We continue to assist Shared Hope with the Protected Innocence Challenge, a comprehensive 50-state survey that grades each state with respect to its legislative framework for combatting child sex trafficking. This semester our project focuses on researching and analyzing the laws of the fifty states with respect to alternative court processes for minors. The goal is to determine which process is best suited for child sex trafficking victims and whether changes to the processes need to be made to better protect these victims. We also are assisting Shared Hope with researching whether any state has passed new legislation that could impact their grades on the Protected Innocence Challenge.

2. International Justice Mission: We are doing different projects for various IJM offices this semester. One relates to holding police officers accountable for their actions, and this project is largely confidential. The other projects relate to strengthening the rule of law and creating a case digest of all domestic violence cases in Uganda.  

3. Justice Ventures International: JVI fights human trafficking in India and also works to protect the poor. This semester we are researching the laws of the state of West Bengal regarding various governmental entitlements that human trafficking victims and the poor can utilize. The goal of the research is to supplement a lawyers’ manual that will aid local lawyers in securing benefits for the poor.

4. Handong/Mongolian Parliamentarian: In conjunction with Handong International Law School, we are researching the history of religious freedom in Mongolia, going all the way back to Genghis Khan empire. Surprisingly, Khan offered robust protections for religious minorities, including Christians. Ultimately, we would like to use our memo to advocate for Mongolia to enhance its protection of religious freedom.

5. Kyampisi Childcare Ministries: KCM continues its great work of fighting child sacrifice in Uganda. Ugandan law allows for courts to order that the offender pay restitution to child sacrifice victims. We are drafting a memo on why restitution is a key piece of a criminal justice system, particularly for child sacrifice victims, and providing a draft order for courts to use. In addition to this project, we will assist KCM on any child sacrifice cases that come through the courts this semester.

6. ADF International: In partnership with ADF International and various other pro-life groups, we drafted a submission to the United Nations Human Rights Committee arguing that abortion is not a protected right under Article 6, Right to Life, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. To read our post, go here. To read more about the project, go here.