Protecting the Most Vulnerable Regent Law’s fourth annual Global Justice Symposium examines the “sexualization” of culture
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egent University’s Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law equips Christian advocates to seek justice for the world’s downtrodden — the enslaved, the abused and the poor. As part of their ongoing effort to provide strategic resources for law school students and those around the world who seek to combat human rights abuses, this outreach of Regent’s School of Law sponsors academic preparation, internship programs and special events.
“Slavery is first and foremost a spiritual issue before it is anything else,” Nolot said during his keynote address. “[It’s] one of the most ferocious systems of evil that is holding the planet hostage right now. ” A member of Regent’s board of trustees, Charlie Lewis has supported the Center for Global Justice since its beginning. “This year’s event was full of great information about how we as Christians can help stop human trafficking around the world,” Lewis told Impact. “I have actively and passionately championed the center, because I believe in and am committed to the causes it supports.”
In February, the center partnered with Regent’s Journal of Global Justice and Public Policy, Operation Blessing International and the Charlie Lewis Family to host “Slavery is one their fourth annual Global Justice Symposium. This of the most year’s topic, Human Rights ferocious systems and the Sexualization of Culture, examined how an of evil that is alarming global shift toward holding the an increasingly sexualized planet hostage culture is distorting the rights of all human beings and right now. ” could cripple how we protect - Benjamin Nolot, Exodus Cry women, children and others. The center’s administrative director, Ernie Walton, sees the topic as highly relevant to their mission. “When culture becomes hyper-sexualized, and when the law affirmatively recognizes sexual autonomy ‘rights,’ the fact is that the vulnerable suffer,” he says. “When a culture’s sexual ethic becomes ‘It’s all about whatever I desire,’ women and children become objects, mere pieces of property that exist to fulfill another’s unconstrained sexual desires.” “The impact from this event will come in two ways,” explains Regent Law Dean Jeffrey Brauch. “First, it educated participants and inspired them to take action; and second, it helped clarify the appropriate strategy for attacking human trafficking.” Panel discussions explored the foundation of human rights, sex as a business and children as property. The three separate 90-minute sessions were followed by an evening banquet, which featured keynote speaker Benjamin Nolot, founder and president of Exodus Cry, one of the center’s key strategic partners.
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“The center is doing very well,” Brauch says. “I praise God for the global impact it has made in less than five years. We have trained dozens of students through courses and internships. More than 80 students have been deployed all over the world in summer internships funded by our supporters. Those interns have made a difference in the lives of the individuals they have gone to serve, and our interns have been changed. “I am especially encouraged that God is now deploying former interns full time in the battle against human trafficking in the United States and abroad.” “Our mission — to equip Christian advocates to seek justice for the oppressed and voiceless — was furthered through this symposium,” Walton says. “It helped our students identify the errant thinking that has led to this type of culture and also offered solutions to effect legal change.”
For information on enrolling at Regent University’s School of Law, visit regent.edu/law or call 877.267.5072. To learn more about the Center for Global Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law, or to make a donation, call 757.352.4660 or visit regent.edu/ globaljustice.
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