3L Jessica Skocik organizes conference on legal issues of online sex trafficking

Jessica Skocik, a third-year student at Notre Dame Law School and a Douglass Fellow with the Human Trafficking Institute, recently organized a conference on the fight against online sex trafficking. The event was held Feb. 15 at Notre Dame Law School.

Speakers included academics, advocates, law enforcement, and attorneys who discussed the policy implications and constitutional questions raised by the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act (FOSTA) that was signed into law last year.

Skocik organized the conference as one of the components of her Douglass Fellowship.

Douglass Fellows participate in a nine-month, academic year fellowship program focused on developing future leaders in the anti-human trafficking movement and providing resources to those currently combating human trafficking around the globe.

Jessica Skocik, 3L, speaks at the conference on Feb. 15 in the Patrick F. McCartan Courtroom at Notre Dame Law School. Photos by Alicia Sachau/Notre Dame Law School.

“It has truly been a privilege to work with the Human Trafficking Institute. The diverse perspectives that were represented at the conference really enriched the conversation and fully treated the issue in a unique way,” Skocik said.

“Part of the power of the anti-trafficking movement is the diversity of the stakeholders who each come from a particular arena whether it be law enforcement, advocacy, or prosecution,” she said. “If we can get these voices to come together and talk with one another, that is where the magic really happens, and I think we accomplished that here.”

The conference was supported by the Klau Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Pasquale Endowment for Excellence, along with the America Civil Liberties Union, the International Human Rights Society, and the National Lawyers Guild.