Meet James Dold, a 2023 Freedom Award Honoree

James Dold is the Founder & CEO of Human Rights for Kids (HRFK) a D.C.-based non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting the human rights of children in the United States. A central focus of HRFK’s work is advocating in state legislatures and courts for comprehensive justice reform for children consistent with the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. 

Prior to launching HRFK, James served as Advocacy Director and Chief Strategy Officer at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth where he developed and implemented the advocacy strategy that led to the quadrupling of states that ban life without parole sentences for children in the U.S. James also served as Senior Policy Counsel at Polaris Project where he led successful state legislative campaigns resulting in the passage of 40 new anti-human trafficking laws across the country. A survivor of child labor trafficking and sexual abuse himself, James was also the architect behind Nevada’s AB 146 in 2013 which criminalized involuntary servitude of a minor which was based on his experiences as a survivor.

James received dual baccalaureates in Criminal Justice and Psychology from the University of Nevada Las Vegas and graduated Cum Laude from the University of Maryland School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in the state of Maryland and is a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. James was selected as a Halle Scholar with the Aspen Institute’s Justice & Society Program in 2016. In 2021 James received the Paul H. Chapman Award by the Foundation for the Improvement of Justice and won the Social Innovation Pitch Prize by Echoing Green and Barclays. James is also a 2023 Fellow with the Roddenberry Foundation.

Read James Dold’s interview to learn more about his commitment to children’s rights and protection:

1) Globally, there are varying schools of thought on what defines the human rights of children. How do you define child rights?

I look at human rights as those rights and obligations that adults have to children to make sure they grow up in environments that allow them to reach their full potential as human beings. Human rights are fundamental rights that we owe to one another as human beings, and child rights are the responsibility of adults and what we owe to our children to make sure they can be their best selves. The most important, which is enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Children’s Rights, is the idea in Principle 6 that every child has a right to understanding and love from their parents and from society. I think it encompasses everything, because love is the most foundational principle that we have as human beings, which connects us, and it is so essential for children especially. For a child to thrive, they need protection and care, and this idea of wrapping our arms around them in a community and collective sense. 

2) What led you to establish the organization Human Rights for Kids?

I’m a first generation college graduate and the first lawyer in my family. Lots of mentors and other folks helped along the way and encouraged me to go to law school. I went there not sure what to do but like a lot of young people, I wanted to make the world a better place. I was really interested in constitutional law and human rights. I was also very interested in policy but didn't really know how to connect the dots. During one of my experiences working on the Hill for Senator Cardin I learned a lot more about child protection laws, human rights laws and anti-trafficking efforts around protecting children. Sara Kruzan’s case was pivotal in my early career. It was just crazy to me that a kid could get life without parole, and on top of that for killing her sex trafficker. Back then I had a naive approach thinking that prosecutors were the ‘good guys’ and that they don’t make bad decisions when it comes to the treatment of youth. I didn't fully understand how bad the adversarial nature of the justice system had become to a point where both on the defense and prosecutorial sides, there was no real ability to step back and ask the most fundamental question: are we doing justice in this case? This case opened my eyes. Some of the kids who are being prosecuted are among the most vulnerable in our community, and the justice system is bringing the hammer down on them. Many of them are poor and of color. And many of them have been abused in their childhood. 

Our mission when we were first founded was really broad, and is still really broad. It’s about advancing human rights and protecting kids. But we centered our mission on justice reforms, in part because this is the area by which kids experience the most severe forms of human rights abuses at the hand of the government while all the other systems failed them. We also felt as an organization that this was the area we could make a mark on, partly because the founding board of Human Rights for Kids was mostly composed - and still is - of state lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle. What unites them is the recognition that we are violating the human rights of our children. We need to be doing better to make sure that these basic and globally accepted principles - of love, affection and what we talked about before - are applicable in our laws and policies as a nation to every child so we can maximize their potential. 

3) What would you say to someone who may want to join the fight to address human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children, but are not sure of where to start, or what they can do to contribute?

There are great things that can be done in small steps. The simplest and easiest way to get involved is to sign up on listservs like ECPAT-USA or Human Rights for Kids. Thereby you can be on the lookout for opportunities to make your voices heard with your elected officials, or be involved in campaigns where we really need the public support. It’s a great way to be connected to the movement and kept aware of the opportunities that will make a difference in children’s lives. Then it depends on everyone’s background, but for example if you are a lawyer and have extra time, there are so many kids out there who need quality legal representation, or survivors who need pro bono legal counsel. Same thing if you are a social worker. Organizations like Human Rights for Kids and ECPAT-USA are always looking for people to get involved, and you never know what kind of project may come up. I would encourage folks to reach out to any of these organizations and offer their skills as volunteers. We all have something we’re good at and there’s always a way to maximize that potential in service of children. 

4) What was your initial reaction when you were informed that you were nominated for the 2023 Freedom Award?

I was surprised! ECPAT-USA and Human Rights for Kids have been partnering on federal legislation for years now. I was a little shocked too, because I think I keep a low profile and we’re not a large organization - I didn't really think that our work was on anyone’s radar. I also have a community approach to my work and don't see myself at the center of anything but rather part of that collective approach. 

5) Outside of being presented the Freedom Award on June 13th, what do you look forward to the most, about attending the benefit event this year?

I’m really excited to meet the other honorees, learn more about their work, and what everyone has been doing in ECPAT’s circle. It’s always an incredible learning opportunity. The thing that I love most about those spaces is that you can learn from other people and it can inspire new ideas. Apart from that and selfishly, my wife and I don't get away from the kids that often, so to come up and get a weekend away with her and spend some time in New York is really exciting. 

6) Do you have any final thoughts to share?

We all have the best interest in working on behalf of child victims of forced criminality and child victims of sex trafficking, and they are often the kids that are not the easiest kids to work with, from a social work or service standpoint because of the trauma they have gone through. But because they are among the most politically vulnerable populations, it requires all of us, as child rights advocates, to step in front of them and shield them from any harm whether it comes from third party abusers or from the government itself. These children are children that have been denied fundamental human rights on multiple levels, and there’s a need for all of us to work together to make sure that this doesn’t happen to them again, and that they have a space to heal and to reintegrate back into society. We have this remarkable ability to heal and grow into our best selves if we have people around us who invest in us and who show care and compassion, affection and love. This is the most important thing we can do for our children, and I think if we do that we’ll leave a better world for them.