Post written by Morgan Bucholz
Hello! My name is Morgan Bucholz, and I am a 1L at Regent University School of Law. As a staff member at the Center for Global Justice, I have been assigned to work with Shared Hope International.
This nonprofit organization fights tirelessly to combat human trafficking worldwide and ensure that survivors of trafficking are awarded the justice they deserve.
The Mission
I have always felt called to work with victims, specifically women and children, so I was elated when I was assigned to work with Shared Hope. The organization’s mission is an incredible feat. However, Shared Hope takes a realistic approach to incite change in domestic and international contexts. One example is the organization’s publication of “Report Cards,” a project that scores and grades American states on their sex trafficking policy and legislation. This project raises awareness of the positive or negative trafficking legislative framework in each state. The hope is to push for positive change in states that grade poorly and highlights legislative and policy faults and offers improvements to laws.
My Work with Shared Hope
My work with Shared Hope involves updating State Survey Charts used to create the Report Cards mentioned above. Through this project, I have learned a great deal about the different legislative frameworks for sex trafficking and areas of the law which impede access to justice for victims. For example, an issue I researched for my charts was the factors of states’ laws that prevent trafficking victims and commercially exploited children from accessing crime victims’ compensation. State laws can create barriers to compensation by requiring victims to comply with crime reporting deadlines, work closely with law enforcement, and report any contributory conduct. Shared Hope promotes a victim-centered approach to these processes that allows victims to be exempt from meeting specific requirements for compensation. These are just a few issues I have researched that Shared Hope has flagged in states’ policy and legislative frameworks.
I am grateful to be a part of this project as I believe it is a great way to raise awareness and incite change to prevent trafficking and protect victims. While it can be challenging to understand all of the complexities of human trafficking, my research with Shared Hope has increased my knowledge of essential issues that state laws can address. It is important to use our voice to apply pressure on states so that tangible change is made to protect and save current and future victims. In February, I was fortunate to attend the
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.