By Natalie Deniston
My summer of 2024 was packed full of both new and difficult experiences while interning at The
National Center on Sexual Exploitation (“NCOSE”) in Washington D.C. Had anyone told me at
the start of law school that I would be interning at a law center in the heart of our nation’s
capital, mere blocks from the Whitehouse, I would have laughed. A mountain girl at heart, born
and raised in Washington state, I love nature, ice-cold rivers, and wide-open spaces – not
crowded, fast-paced cities like D.C. Yet here I was, interning in one of the darkest and most
difficult areas of the law, fighting for victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.
But as I’ve come to find on my journey with the Lord, His hand is in and on everything, leading
me down a path of the unexpected and surprise with opportunities to grow in His purpose for me
and to draw closer to Him. My one question leading into the summer was, “Am I called to this
type of work?”
The NCOSE Law Center was my first in-person experience in the legal field, working and
learning from a group of inspirational lawyers and getting hands-on experience. But, this was no
ordinary group of lawyers working on ordinary cases. The focus of the NCOSE is to defend and
restore human dignity in society through influencing policy and garnering victories through
impactful civil litigation. The myriad of cases they are involved in seek to bring justice and
restoration to survivors of sexual abuse and exploitation, and hold profiteers accountable for
their involvement. The tenacious lawyers have taken on big tech companies such as Twitter and
Pornhub, in addition to brothels and clubs in Nevada.
My internship started with a deep dive into the center’s cases, understanding the facts and
claims being litigated, and some of the uphill battles the lawyers face. It became apparent that
one of the major roadblocks preventing survivors of exploitation across the country from
securing justice is Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, enacted in 1996. The intent
was to provide immunity for platforms from content posted by third parties to foster the growth of
the internet. Instead, courts have interpreted the statute to allow broad immunity for interactive
computer service companies and no accountability for the content posted to their sites.
I experienced an immediate feeling of frustration after I read case after case of courts saying
their hands were tied. Learning the specific details of the cases and the trauma these clients
went through, some of them minors, is heartbreaking. It’s disturbing to know that when a minor
requests an influential social media platform to delete the video of their sexual abuse, the
company can refuse and suffer no consequences. Even though the reported content was child
sexual abuse material (“CSAM”), the company had no incentive to act. Where is the justice our
legal system promises?
I feel confusion and anger over how the justice and legislative systems, which are supposed to
represent the people, would allow these ever-growing tech companies to proceed with no
repercussions. Not an enjoyable feeling as a rising 2L. Interning at NCOSE and seeing how
dedicated they are to helping survivors who have gone through unimaginable trauma and
working to change the legal system gave me hope and fueled my passion for justice even more.
Working alongside some of the brilliant lawyers toiling in an extremely difficult area of the legal
field was a privilege. Their capacity to handle the darkness and fierce determination to stand in
the gap for survivors is inspiring. Some of the tasks that I assisted with ranged from researching
legal questions that were sometimes very specific (thank the Lord for legal search engines) to
drafting templates for discovery requests, attending live hearings, and assisting with reviewing
discovery documents. Oddly, I realized that one of my favorite tasks was researching narrow
and specific legal questions, finding the right cases, summarizing, and putting the results in an
organized fashion, and presenting it to my supervising attorney like a proud student. It felt like I
had just painted a masterpiece. Don’t get me started on when I got to assist in drafting a Motion
to Strike.
My summer was nothing I could have imagined, and opportunities popped up left and right. I
helped the NCOSE policy center do a lobbying blitz at the House, meeting with staffers and
advocating for one of the bills NCOSE supports called the Kids Online Safety Act. I assisted
staff for a conference called “World Without Exploitation”, meeting some of the leading giants in
the anti-trafficking movement. I met new friends and had opportunities to have some of the most
iconic experiences D.C. can offer. Ultimately, I not only got a firsthand look at life as a lawyer
but, more importantly, served survivors of abuse and exploitation alongside the dedicated team
at the law center. I could never have anticipated just how profound and life-changing this
summer turned out to be.
As my internship drew to a close, I found myself reflecting on the last few months and asking
again, “Am I called to this type of work?” While I’m not sure of where the Lord will lead me
exactly, I know that this internship was a step in the direction toward His call on my life. Over the
last couple of weeks, the book of Esther has reminded me that God calls us “for such a time as
this.” (Esther 4:14). God creates each person to be perfectly placed in His story of redemption.
We are called to an exact path and a specific time, to love others and through His calling, to
glorify God on earth. I truly believe that through God’s leading, whether seen or unseen, He has
a plan and will use me to show His overwhelming love for His children in a darkening world. I
have been called for such a time as this.
This post was written by a student at Regent University School of Law. The views expressed in this post do not necessarily reflect those of Regent University, Regent Law School, or the Center for Global Justice.