Tahirih is deeply disappointed by the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage yesterday of a flawed bill to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act.

The two women met for the first time last week at a sleek Georgetown hotel, where they were speakers at a glittering charity dinner. They shook hands and hugged across a vast gulf of culture, geography and faith: one a devout Muslim from West Africa with her hair carefully hidden under a tight scarf, the other a gregarious South Asian in a stylish sari and costume earrings.

Tahirih Houston celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012, with a gathering to honor pro bono attorneys, volunteer interpreters, and others who have assisted Tahirih throughout the year.

During the Women in the World Summit, Tahirih Founder and Executive Director Layli Miller-Muro accepted the DVF People’s Choice Award at the DVF Awards Ceremony at the United Nations.

Although many Americans may think that phenomena such as forced marriages and so-called “honor killings” exist only overseas, social service agencies, educators, and a growing number of law enforcement personnel know differently.

Tahirih held a training for frontline service providers on identifying and supporting victims of forced marriage—the first training of its kind in the United States on March 2, 2012.

For many of us, reports on women and girls being threatened with violence and forced to marry seem distant and incomprehensible.