Post written by Seth Craig
My second semester working for the Center for Global Justice has been remarkable. I would have never predicted that I would assist an international legal aid organization in performing legal research for various African countries.
Advocates International in Africa started when a group of Lawyers from Africa met in the United States in 1999 to create a legal network. By 2005, the network had grown with contacts in over 35 countries in Africa.
Advocates International
Today, that network has expanded to 43 countries, all of whom are Christian lawyers, advocates, judicial officers, and law students organized into national associations. Through constructive client-based legal services and programs that promote human dignity and independence, Advocates International plays a fundamental role in positively influencing the future of African nations in developing new legislation and amending state constitutions.
For the spring semester of 2022, our current assignment requires a “bird’s-eye” overview of the new laws and regulations implemented between 2015 and today. My project focuses on legislative updates concerning marriage, religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and family law. The most prevalent topics that require research are laws related to abortion, gay marriage, marital rape, and freedom to worship.
International Research
Researching international law can be very complex to navigate because most of the research on African nations is not performed by their respective governments and must be located through alternative means. Organizations like Advocates International are enormously essential to the advancement of developing countries.
For illustration, when more legal aid organizations advocate for the vulnerable, more research is performed, more critical issues are addressed, and the government improves overall. Thankfully, the United Nations, the U.S. State Department, and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency have highly reliable sources that provide the current history, laws, and statistics involving today’s most critical issues concerning the requested research topics.
As a student at Regent Law, my ambitions are driven by a Christian conviction, a belief that justice should be freely available for all.
Colossians 3:11 states, “Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.”
Students at the Center for Global Justice strive to become lawyers representing vulnerable and marginalized communities, regardless of their background or religious belief. As such, we should assist the poor and vulnerable seek justice by informing them of their fundamental legal rights and offering free advice and representation to those who have no means to pay for it.
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.