Written by Gabriella Cabrera
I am a rising 2L at Regent University School of Law. I am passionate about fighting for human rights, especially justice for human trafficking victims. I am a legal intern at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE). I assist the law center by answering research questions related to NCOSE’s nation-impacting litigation. Also, I just started a law review of Virginia Trafficking and Prostitution Laws.
NCOSE
I enjoy being a part of the positive impact that NCOSE has made as the first organization to successfully bring class-action lawsuits against Big Tech companies to hold them accountable for their abusive content.
I am currently working on a memorandum on a contract law issue for a case NCOSE has filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. NCOSE sued the governor of Nevada on behalf of three sex trafficking victims. The governor violated trafficking laws, e.g., the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which prevents one from benefiting from a sex trafficking venture. The state is profiting from the taxes from strip clubs where these plaintiffs were in debt-bondage due to the club charging extremely high fees and the pimps trafficking performers in these clubs. The issue is whether an arbitration agreement would be enforceable against someone coerced into working in a strip club. While the courts enforce many of these arbitration agreements against performers at strip clubs, the court will likely declare that generally applicable contract defenses invalidate the arbitration agreement. For instance, Jane Doe #2 signed the arbitration agreement under duress when her trafficker threatened to kill her unless she signed the agreement.
Supply and Demand
I end each week at NCOSE learning something new and greatly appreciating my coworkers. Their dedication to this work and support for one another is inspiring. I have learned that you cannot talk about sex trafficking without prostitution because, while there is no market for trafficking, when the demand for prostitution cannot be met, sex trafficking will rise to meet that demand.
God has shown me that He will equip me with the tools, guidance, and love I need from Him and those around me to be involved in this movement. Being at NCOSE has affirmed my desire to litigate for victims of sexual exploitation within a non-profit. The Capitol Hill Briefing on Monday was my first event at NCOSE. All of the participants made the event a true success.
I am thankful for the courageous survivors who shared their stories. I love how survivor-focused NCOSE is and how one of our approaches is a trauma-informed response. I hope and pray that the bills NCOSE advocated for at the Hill have influenced our government leaders. I look forward to continuing this internship throughout the summer, and I am grateful to those who helped me get here!
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.