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!
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.