As highlighted in Tahirih’s September 2009 briefing and report, “Precarious Protection: How Unsettled Policy and Current Laws Harm Women and Girls Fleeing Persecution,” the one-year filing deadline can have devastating consequences for women and girls seeking refuge from gender-based persecution. Enacted as part of the 1996 Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, the one-year filing deadline bars individuals from receiving asylum if they apply one year or more after their arrival in the United States. Following Tahirih’s briefing and report release, all three legislators reached out to Tahirih expressing particular concern over the one-year bar, and their offices have worked with Tahirih, together with Human Rights First and the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (at UC Hastings School of Law), to better understand the problem and craft a solution.

Although this arbitrary deadline impacts all those seeking protection in the United States, women asylum seekers—especially those who fled or fear domestic violence, female genital mutilation, honor crimes and other forms of gender-based persecution in their home countries—often face particular complications that delay their applications for protection and place them at greater risk of being denied asylum due to the one-year bar. [For more information about the impact of the one-year filing deadline on women and girls seeking asylum, please see pp. 31-39 of Precarious Protection.]

As Congressman Moran noted when introducing the bill, “The United States has always been a beacon of hope for refugees fleeing discrimination, whether political, religious, or gender-based. The one-year filing deadline for asylum applications is unnecessary, and its elimination will guarantee all qualified individuals have the opportunity to restart their lives free of persecution.” See Congressman Moran’s press release here.

Ms. Miller-Muro founded the Tahirih Justice Center in 1997 following a well-publicized asylum case in which she was involved as a student attorney. Do They Hear You When You Cry (Delacorte Press 1998) tells the story of that case, written by Ms. Miller-Muro and Fauziya Kassindja, a 17-year-old woman who fled Togo in fear of a forced polygamous marriage and a tribal practice known as female genital mutilation. After arriving in the United States and spending more than 17 months in detention, Ms. Kassindja was granted asylum on appeal. Her case made legal history and established national precedent, enabling women to receive asylum on the basis of gender-based persecution.

Voices of Courage:

Immigrant Women and Girls Fleeing Violence

In honor of International Women’s Day

Monday, March 8, 2010
6:00 – 8:00pm
Rice University Student Center
Farnsworth Pavilion

Appetizers and beverages will be served. RSVP to Madelaine Delgado at houston@tahirih.org.

This locked case was filled with baby formula.

I learned from the check-out clerk that, in this grocery store, baby formula is the single most stolen item in the store. Upon hearing this, my eyes welled up with tears. “Can’t you just let them steal it?” I said. She replied, “I wish we could.”

As a mother, I know that there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do to protect and feed your child. Parents all over the world are united in their primordial instincts to protect their children. It is this same impulse to safeguard one’s family that motivates our clients to flee horrific forms of violence and come to us seeking help.

Women are too often willing to endure that which they will not tolerate for their children. Our clients overcome incredible obstacles to escape rape, genital mutilation, honor crimes, trafficking, domestic violence and widow rituals, and to protect their children from the legacy of violence.

“I will never allow my daughter to go through the same suffering that I did.”

Born in a small village in Africa, “Faizah” vividly recalls undergoing the practice known as female genital mutilation as a five-year-old child. Held down by four women, she screamed out in unbearable pain as her genitals were cut. For two months afterward, her mother poured a painfully scalding hot mixture over her wounds. When Faizah was fifteen, after an evaluation, her family and village elders determined that her clitoris was growing back. Once more, Faizah found herself restrained and enduring the excruciating pain of having her genitals cut with an unsterilized knife and no anesthetic. Faizah bled for an entire day afterward.

Faizah considers herself one of the lucky women in her village because she was able to get an education as well as marry a man that she loved. She had hope for happiness with him even as the trauma of her mutilations continued to affect her.

When Faizah’s daughter Marian was born, her family insisted that Marian undergo female genital mutilation. Faizah knew they would force the practice upon Marian even if she tried to stop it. Horrified by the thought of her daughter enduring what Faizah experienced twice over, she escaped to the United States where she found the Tahirih Justice Center. Tahirih partnered with pro bono attorneys to win refugee status for Faizah and her family–ending the cycle of violence.

“I look at my daughter everyday and thank God that I was able to protect her from the violence I had faced.”

From stealing baby formula to embarking on a hazardous and unknown journey to another country, people will go to great lengths to protect loved ones. But they cannot do it alone. Only with the compassion, support, and dedication of people like you can we work to protect women like Faizah and her daughter.

Today, we need your help to answer the pleas of other women and girls fleeing violence and seeking justice for themselves and their children. Make a secure contribution online now.

With your support, Tahirih has assisted nearly 10,000 women and children fleeing violence since 1997. This year alone, Tahirih has helped over 1,200 women and children through direct services and social and medical service referrals, including litigating 675 separate legal matters as part of 275 new and continued cases.

Through our award-winning programs, despite the cutting-edge and complex legal matters we undertake, Tahirih has maintained a 99% litigation success rate. This is a measure of the compelling nature of violence our clients are fleeing, as well as the high quality of our services and dedication to their protection. Competent legal representation is often the only way that immigrant women and girls can attain freedom from violence. For our clients, however, attaining legal status is just the beginning of the journey to rebuild their lives. To support their efforts to become self-sufficient, Tahirih assists clients in accessing shelter, clothing, food, medical care, and language or job training classes.

A shining achievement this year is the opening of Tahirih’s first field office in Houston, TX. Our office opened in the fall with Anne Chandler, an established member of the Houston immigrant rights community, as its director. Extending Tahirih’s organizational model to Houston, we are working closely with local law firms, like-minded organizations, and other partners to provide critically-needed services to the Greater Houston area.

Additionally, we played a prominent national role in advocating for better federal laws, policies, and regulations for the women we serve. Tahirih met with President Obama’s Transition Team, corresponded with Attorney General Eric Holder and Secretary Napolitano, presented at a meeting with the White House Office of Public Engagement and the White House Council on Women and Girls, met with senior staff at the Department of Homeland Security, and engaged many Congressional offices to advocate for greater protections for immigrant women and girls fleeing violence.

On October 1, 2009, Tahirih’s efforts were highlighted in an article in the Washington Post featuring Tahirih’s recently-released report that draws attention to challenges faced by women seeking asylum in the United States. Tahirih unveiled the report at a Tahirih-sponsored Congressional Briefing where actor Sam Waterston (from NBC’s Law & Order) gave a compelling plea for the law to better protect women and girls fleeing violence.

Tahirih’s report highlighted the struggles of Tahirih’s clients caught in an inconsistent, daunting, and often inaccessible legal system, including “Rosita.” Rosita is a 23-year-old Honduran woman who was the victim of severe domestic violence by her child’s father, who was a Honduran police officer. Despite her many complaints to law enforcement, brutal public displays of his violence, and numerous hospital records and photographs of bruises on her swollen face and stab wounds to her body, she never received protection. After he threatened to kill her, she fled to the United States. Despite her compelling case and the fact that many women like her have received asylum in the United States, she was denied asylum. Her case highlights the inconsistency of the courts and unsettled nature of the law for women fleeing domestic violence.

We need your help to change the law and provide critical services so that women like Rosita may receive protection. With unique opportunities right now to influence the development of the law, we urgently need your support to continue our advocacy to more systemically protect women and girls from violence.

We fully understand that, in this economy, everyone is tightening their belt. We respect the fact that you are more careful than ever about where you invest your charitable donations and want to assure you that your support has a life-changing impact on the women and girls we serve.

In order to most efficiently use our resources, Tahirih partners with over 700 pro bono attorneys to maximize the number of women and girls served. These donated services allow us to turn every $1 into $5 of impact, so you may rest assured that your contributions to Tahirih are efficiently used. Excluding in-kind donations, 75% of your gift goes to programs, with only 25% going to overhead costs. Including in-kind donations, 95% of our expenses go directly to programs, with only 5% spent on overhead costs. Additionally, we have deliberately increased our efficiency over time and reduced the amount it costs us to litigate each legal matter by 66% over the last four years.

We feel strongly that it is our obligation to use every penny of our resources to maximize our impact, because lives are at stake. Our clients come to us when their lives are in danger and when they have decided to stand up, leave, and demand justice. It is well-documented that when the economy suffers, rates of violence go up.

Our clients need us now, more than ever. And we need your support more than ever. While our planning and efficiency has carried us through a full year during the current economic downturn, we have not been spared from its effects, and have experienced a dramatic decrease in several sources of funding. At this critical time, we need your help to continue serving our clients, meeting the need for our services, and making systemic changes to end violence against women.

Please make a donation today of whatever you can offer, and through our holistic direct services, public policy advocacy, and efficient leveraging of volunteers, you have a financially powerful opportunity to immediately protect lives, to make real changes to end violence against women, and to bring humanity closer to equality for women and men.

With deep appreciation,

Layli Miller-Muro
Executive Director

P.S.–The economy has impacted our donations and we need your help now more than ever. Please make a tax-deductible donation online today. Thank you for your support!

We are thrilled to report that this year we expanded the Pearls to Support Women and Girls event to Houston, in addition to Washington, DC, and it was a resounding success. In total, Tahirih raised nearly $60,000! The Tahirih Justice Center is extremely grateful for the hard work of so many in making our pearl sales event a wonderful success. Everyone who volunteered, hosted an event, assisted with the planning, and bought pearls contributed to our being able to raise such a significant amount to protect women and girls from violence. We are also indebted to Amy Lin for her continued support of our work. Her high-quality pearls, personal touch, and generosity in working with Tahirih made it possible for the event to be so successful.

Thank you all for your incredible support, including the following dedicated group of hosts and volunteers:

Photo by Anusce Sanai.

We are happy to report that the annual benefit was a financial success, netting nearly $174,000! We are grateful to the many individuals and corporate partners who sacrificed to raise this support for Tahirih. Even though the total is slightly less than the amount we raised in 2008, we are extremely fortunate for the success of the evening in light of the economy and the bigger decreases in revenue faced by many nonprofit organizations. We are also happy to report that we did more with less this year and increased our profit margin from 80% to 82% as a result of greater efficiencies and some cost-cutting measures. As many of you have had to do, we are tightening our belt and making sure that every penny is spent wisely.

This year, we were honored to have Sam Waterston, of the NBC hit Law & Order, as the keynote speaker and recipient of the Pillar of Justice Award. For the fourth year, we were privileged to have Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan as the Honorary Chair of the Benefit Committee. We were also thrilled to be joined by two of Tahirih’s Congressional Representatives, Congressman Jim Moran of Virginia and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas, who joined us to present awards and give remarks. We were also joined by Congresswoman Corrine Brown and former-Congressman Nick Lampson.

Tahirih presented three additional awards to two organizations and an individual who have shown an extraordinary commitment over the years to furthering Tahirih’s mission and to ending violence against women. The awards included the Law Firm of the Year Award to Howrey LLP, the Pushing the Envelope Award to the Estée Lauder Companies, Inc., and Volunteer Service Award to Sherry Sutherland.

Isha Kargbo, a former Tahirih client, spoke about her challenges and ultimate triumph over violence. Isha came to the United States a victim of a forced polygamous marriage in Sierra Leone. In the United States, Isha fell in love with a caring man, who she ultimately married. Six months into the marriage, however, things changed. He became possessive and incredibly violent. Isha eventually called the police, filed charges against her husband, and obtained a protective order. With the help of the Tahirih Justice Center, Isha filed a petition under the Violence Against Women Act, making her eligible to become a legal permanent resident. After two years of zealous advocacy by her pro bono attorney, Isha received her green card. Tahirih also worked with Isha to obtain custody of her children. Currently, Isha is a Licensed Practical Nurse and is pursuing a degree through the RUE education program at Excelsior College to become a Registered Nurse.

Benefit Committee
We are grateful to all the guests and participants who joined us at the Benefit, as well as those who were with us in spirit. A very special thanks goes out to the distinguished members of our Benefit Committee, led by Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan. Her Majesty is a dedicated human rights activist and has supported our work by speaking at a prior Tahirih Benefit and chairing the Benefit Committee over the past four years. The kind participation of all Committee members ensured the evening’s success.

Sponsors and Silent Auction Contributors
Tahirih is privileged and honored to have the support of committed sponsors and silent auction contributors—through their kindness and generosity we were able to raise significant support for vulnerable women and girls fleeing violence.

Tahirih’s Twelfth Annual Fundraising Benefit would also not have been possible without the tireless commitment of supporters who donated their services and volunteered their time to make the evening such a moving celebration. Thank you to all those who participated to make the event a wonderful success!

On September 30, 2009, the Tahirih Justice Center, together with Human Rights First and the Women’s Refugee Commission, convened a Congressional Briefing to call attention to the many challenges facing women and girls seeking asylum in the United States. The Briefing offered policymakers and the public a critical opportunity to learn about the harmful impact of unsettled policy and current immigration laws on women and girls fleeing gender-based violence.

Tahirih’s Executive Director, Layli Miller-Muro, gave opening remarks thanking attendees for their interest in increasing protection for women and girls fleeing violence. A former Tahirih client (who also served on Tahirih’s Board of Directors), Gisele, courageously recounted how she was forced to flee her home country after being arrested and beaten for resisting a forced marriage to the chief of her village. Gisele’s story about her struggles to find safety in the United States drew in the audience and gave a vitally important human face to the consequences that can result from US asylum law and policy decisions. Award-winning actor and human rights activist Sam Waterston (D.A. “Jack McCoy” on NBC’s Law & Order) and longtime Tahirih supporter Congressman Jim Moran also gave compelling remarks, reflecting on the prevalence and severity of violence against women around the world and calling for the US to improve its response to women and girls in desperate need of refuge.

Tahirih’s Director of Public Policy, Jeanne Smoot, next outlined the problematic state of gender-based asylum law in the United States, as well as the devastating consequences of a one-year filing deadline that can bar applicants, especially women and girls, from receiving asylum. Joining Jeanne on the speakers’ panel were Annie Sovcik, Policy Counsel at Human Rights First (relating the experience of women who flee persecution only to face expedited removal, i.e., deportation without a hearing, in the US), and Emily Butera, Detention Program Officer at the Women’s Refugee Commission (addressing the damaging impacts of detention on women and children who, under current US policy, can be imprisoned while they await decisions on their asylum cases).

As highlighted in the Washington Post (“Clearer Rules Urged For Asylum Seekers”), findings from a new report by the Tahirih Justice Center, “Precarious Protection: How Unsettled Policy and Current Laws Harm Women and Girls Fleeing Persecution,” were also presented at the Congressional Briefing.

Drawing on the compelling stories of Tahirih’s clients and our direct services experiences, as well as cutting-edge research gleaned from recent reports by other organizations, Tahirih’s report represents a new level of research and analysis that has only been made possible in the last year as our public policy department has grown. The report critically examines how the lack of clarity and coherence in the field of gender-based asylum law, together with the severe implications of current immigration laws and policies of general application to all asylum seekers (including the one-year filing deadline, the expedited removal process, and restrictive detention policies with limited access to parole), can prevent women and girls fleeing persecution from finding the protection they need and deserve. Read the full report (PDF).

We are pleased and hopeful to think that through public outreach and education efforts like this recent Congressional Briefing and report, Tahirih can achieve true justice not only for one client at a time, but also, through system transformation, for all women and girls who seek safe haven in the United States.

On another night soon thereafter, Enrique punched Teresa multiple times in the face, grabbed her by the hair, pushed her to the floor, and kicked her in the back. Teresa’s face became so swollen that she could not open her eyes. After this brutal assault, Teresa did not call the police because of what they told her the last time she called.

Teresa’s story exemplifies why forging strong relationships with law enforcement is critical for Tahirih’s work with immigrant victims of crime. If law enforcement is not informed of the available legal remedies available for immigrant women—such as the U visa that protects immigrant victims of crime who cooperate with law enforcement—immigrant women may be incorrectly told that they would be deported if they report the abuse or that there is nothing they can do to legalize their status. Law enforcement also seeks to cultivate better relationships with immigrant communities in order to accomplish community policing objectives. Seeking to address these objectives, along with clarifying misconceptions about the U visa, one of Tahirih’s staff attorneys, Natalie Nanasi, co-wrote an article on the benefits of the U visa to the law enforcement community with Detective Stacey Ivie of the Alexandria, Virginia Police Department. Last month, the article (The U Visa: An Effective Resource for Law Enforcement) was published in the Federal Bureau of Investigation Bulletin.

Following the publication of this article, Ms. Nanasi conducted a training on the U visa with Detective Ivie to 70 law enforcement officers and students in Manassas, VA. This training, along with the many others Tahirih provides to local law enforcement, works to ensure that first responders are informed of the rights of battered immigrants. Tahirih is also developing a pocket card for law enforcement to distribute to immigrant victims explaining their rights and immigration options. These pocket cards will allow law enforcement officers to discretely hand victims information without inquiring into their immigration status. Finally, Tahirih was recently awarded a Virginia Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution (V-STOP) Recovery Act grant from the Department of Criminal Justice Services to build on the important work Ms. Nanasi started under her previous Equal Justice Works fellowship project of representing immigrant survivors seeking U visas. Under the V-STOP Recovery Act grant, Ms. Nanasi will target trainings to law enforcement in the Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Tidewater areas.

In Teresa’s case, she finally called the police again after another vicious attack by Enrique and is eligible for a U visa. But many women may be too fearful to make such a call, especially if they aren’t informed of their rights the first time they reach out to the police. By building on partnerships with law enforcement and conducting targeted outreach and training, Tahirih strives to prevent stories like Teresa’s first encounter with an officer from repeating itself.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.

Erin first learned about the Tahirih Justice Center when she was in law school and met Layli Miller-Muro, Tahirih’s Executive Director, through a friend. She decided then that she wanted to get involved in Tahirih’s work.

Grace, who is interested in immigration and asylum and has a passion for women’s issues, heard about Tahirih through various friends and also through K&L Gates’ pro bono opportunity newsletter. She signed up and attended one of Tahirih’s training sessions.

Having discovered our joint interest in Tahirih, we decided to team up to take a case together. Both of us wanted to work with an individual whose issues were important to us. We hoped to impact an individual’s life, and, in this case, help a woman fleeing violence obtain the legal status she was entitled to.

Simply having the honor to serve Martine and her two beautiful boys was truly an amazing experience for us. After we filed Martine’s U visa application, we were waiting for months for a decision. Martine’s job at a hospital and residence in transitional housing was in jeopardy during this time and we advocated relentlessly with US Citizenship and Immigration Services to have her case adjudicated. When we received the news that her U visa had been approved, we were thrilled to convey the news to an overjoyed Martine.

This experience reminded us of why we went into the legal profession and renewed our passion to serve those in need. Both of us have taken away a better understanding of immigration law. Although this area of the law is very complicated, we were driven by the purpose underlying Martine’s case, so the drafting and revising did not feel like work. Both of us have a much deeper appreciation and compassion for the struggles facing immigrants in this country after working with Martine. We have gained a larger perspective on what is important in life and the benefits that we take for granted as citizens. We experienced such fulfillment from our work and relationship with Martine.

*Name has been changed to protect privacy.

Become A Pro Bono Advocate

We are always looking for attorneys willing to give their time and energy to help women and girls in need. Participating in our Pro Bono Attorney Network offers you an opportunity to transform the life of an immigrant woman or girl.

To read more visit the Pro Bono Attorney Network section of our website. If you have questions or are interested in providing pro bono help, please email legal@tahirih.org.

Public pearl sales events will be held:

WASHINGTON, DC AREA

Tuesday, November 10, 2009
10:00am-6:00pm
Main Lobby
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP
1333 New Hampshire Avenue NW
Washington, DC

Thursday, November 12, 2009
10:00am-6:00pm
Concourse Level Conference Room
Hogan & Hartson
555 13th Street NW
Washington, DC

HOUSTON, TX AREA

Monday, November 16, 2009
8:00am-3:00pm
Tunnel-Outside of Starbucks
600 Travis Street
Houston, TX

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
11:00am-2:30pm
4:30-7:00pm
2121 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX

For more information, please contact Jenny Nuber, Special Events Manager, at 571-282-6193. To preview the type of merchandise being sold, please visit Amy Lin’s website.