By Sean O’Dea
I have had the privilege of working for the Center for Global Justice for nearly two semesters now. Before working for the Center, I had never possessed a similar opportunity to utilize my academic training to affect real positive change in the United States, let alone in other parts of the world. Since having started with the Center, I have had the privilege of working on a project to fight against the sexual exploitation of children in Nepal, as well as a project to help the training of law enforcement officials in the fight against human trafficking in Romania. To know these projects could influence positive legal change in other nations has left me with an incredible feeling of fulfillment.
While working for the Center does not entail hunting down human traffickers in the field, nor arguing human rights cases before the United Nations, the kind of work the Center accomplishes is necessary for these other kinds of work to be done. The research we provide helps nations best determine how to improve their current laws to ensure that the worst crimes and the worst criminals are effectively and efficiently punished. We work for the victims who cannot find justice under their current circumstances or have been forgotten by their governments. While our work may be less flashy, it is no less important.
Working for the Center is a privilege because it grants one an opportunity to fulfill God’s call to serve others: “Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.” (Romans 12 ESV). While the world may be fallen, God’s justice still prevails, and it prevails through the work of the Center for Global Justice.
This post was written by a Center for Global Justice law intern. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.