By: Lauryn Eason, Regent Law Legal Fellow
My name is Lauryn Eason, and I am currently serving as the post-grad Legal Fellow in Uganda and the USA. Throughout this Fellowship, I have had the privilege of working alongside world leaders in the fight against human trafficking.
Part of my role as the Regent Fellow is to support our partners on the ground in Uganda. One of those partners is Kyampisi Childcare Ministries. (KCM). KCM is a local-run, multi-faceted NGO that has spearheaded anti-trafficking efforts in Uganda, especially when it comes to the issue of child sacrifice. KCM also provides education and medical/rehabilitation services for children who have either survived or were rescued from their encounters with witch doctors. They also have an investigative team that partners with local police to conduct rescue operations, refer cases for sanctioning, and follow-up on cases as they progress through the judicial system. Learn more about KCM here.
While in Uganda, I traveled to KCM several times to meet with their attorney, Yekous, who is also the head of Child Protection Services. At KCM, Yekous introduced me to several children they serve. If you’ve ever seen the movie Erin Brockovich, you probably remember the scene where Erin confronts defense counsel during a meeting and reminds her that the people whose numbers are on the files are people first. That’s Yekous. KCM has over 100 cases they handle at any given time, but Yekous can tell you the name of each child, where they come from, and what tragedies they have suffered. In the office, we brainstormed, collaborated, delegated, and updated processes to increase their capacity as an organization – all as we listened to the children playing just outside the window. Without KCM, many cases would likely fall through the systemic cracks due to cultural attitudes surrounding trafficking and witchcraft, overwhelmed prosecutors, and distrust of officials.
It’s surreal that I was able to use my background in anti-trafficking to make a tangible difference so freshly out of law school. Now that I’m back in the US for this portion of my Fellowship, Yekous and I maintain contact almost every day to continue working together from a distance.
This post was written by an individual 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.