At the age of 17, Fauziya Kassindja fled Togo and sought asylum in the United States to avoid a forced marriage and female genital mutilation. Instead of finding protection, she spent more than 17 months in detention. Then-law student Layli Miller-Muro helped bring her case to the highest immigration court in the nation, and Fauziya was granted asylum in 1996 by the U.S. Board of Immigration Appeals. The decision set national precedent and established gender-based persecution as grounds for asylum.
Tahirih’s Founder Involved in Landmark Asylum Victory
Survivor Voices
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Clara
“I no longer have to hide in the shadows, I no longer live with uncertainty, I can finally work legally and provide for my son and daughter— I’m home, I’m safe, I’m free.”
October 25, 2021 -
Maria
“We can overcome unthinkable situations. Every mother should have the opportunity to fight for justice for themselves and their family. We deserve to be heard and we deserve to be free of violence.”
February 23, 2021
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