Post by: Folafoluwa Soluade
Hi! My name is Fola Soluade, and I am a first-year law student.
From my law school application to my interest in the Center for Global Justice, the common thread has been my desire to do justice and love mercy as Micah 6 has been so eloquently expressed. Through the Center, I am currently reviewing and summarizing 2020 U.S. State Legislation on human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children for Shared Hope International. Shared Hope is a nonprofit Christian organization whose mission is to eradicate sex-trafficking through a three-pronged approach—prevent, restore, and bring justice.
Working as part of the Student Staff for the Center and in partnership with Shared Hope, I am constantly reminded of Isaiah 1:17, which calls us to “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; [and] plead the case of the widow.” It is a verse that especially reflects God’s heart for justice, His concern for the downtrodden, and the need to serve vulnerable children.
Shared Hope is intentionally serving vulnerable children and advocating on their behalf through its mission to bring justice. This prong involves supporting “states’ efforts to improve their existing legal protections for child sex trafficking victims.”[i] In reviewing legislation that seeks to improve legal protections for victims, for Shared Hope, I am confronted with the realization that the call to do justice is not a solitary one. There is plenty to be done in efforts to protect the vulnerable and advocate on their behalf, and thus a need for more to answer the call to do justice. From individual advocates to attorneys to organizations providing specialized services to the vulnerable, there is a need and opportunity for people of varying gifts to get involved. Shared Hope—one among many nonprofit organizations—highlight the various ways that one can get involved in the call to do justice.[ii]
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.
[i] https://sharedhope.org/what-we-do/bring-justice/reportcards/
[ii] https://sharedhope.org/takeaction/; https://www.ijm.org/get-involved