Culture and Justice Lecture Series event focuses on advocating for rights of children in Riverside County systems

Riverside, Calif. (Oct. 11, 2019) – Some children need legal assistance as they too deal with complex legal issues, Jessica Munoz, lawyer and executive director for Voices for Children, told a California Baptist University audience. Munoz spoke on Oct. 10 during the first Culture and Justice Lecture Series event of the school year. 

“In the case of children, it becomes much more difficult since there are a lot more philosophical and practical questions we have to answer as to how the legal system can serve children,” Munoz said. “Especially when we stop to see that the children are not eligible to vote for the laws that affect them or the people who make or interpret those laws.”

Voices for Children helps advocate for children in the welfare program and juvenile dependency systems. Additionally, the non-profit organization offers training for individuals who are interested in a career involving legality issues pertaining to children.

Munoz said that her passion for children’s rights led her to find her career path.  

“Somewhere along the lines I realized that not all children have a great upbringing and that bothered me,” Munoz said. “Combine that with the fact that I just love kids … I wanted my service to be on behalf of children, youth and families.”

Munoz said she not only enjoys devoting her legal services to children but she also enjoys “the intellectual vigor that comes from answering some of those very, very complicated questions about how we are going to respond from a legal perspective.”   

The Culture and Justice Lecture Series is a free event hosted by the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. Three more events are planned for the remaining academic year.