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Works Cited

Works cited throughout this website address the epidemic of violence against women and girls, the unique vulnerability of immigrant women and girls to violence, access to justice, forced marriage, and other issues related to our urgent mission. Full citations can be found below.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

  • 1 in 3 women around the world will be raped, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime.1
  • Approximately 142 million girls throughout the world will be married before the age of 18 by 2020 if present trends continue.2
  • Approximately 200 million women and girls alive today have been subjected to FGM/C.3
  • Approximately 30 million girls under age 15 worldwide are still at risk for female genital mutilation.4
  • Worldwide, an estimated 5,000 women and girls are murdered every year for a perceived dishonor to their families.5
  • Every year, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 individuals are trafficked into the United States.6
  • Domestic violence — just one form of gender-based violence — is more costly than warfare, with a worldwide annual cost of $8 trillion.7
  • Modern-day slavery disproportionately impacts women and girls. An estimated 80 percent of trafficking victims are female.8
  • In United States alone, someone is raped every 6.2 minutes.9

UNIQUE VULNERABILITY OF IMMIGRANT WOMEN AND GIRLS

  • Immigrant women and girls in the United States are up to 2x more likely to experience domestic violence than the general population.10
  • 1 out of 5 battered immigrant women in the United States cite fear of immigration consequences as a reason for staying with an abuser.11
  • 72% of abusive partners fail to give their spouses legal immigration status in the United States as a tool of control.12
  • There was a 140% increase in number of girls apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border from 2013 to 2014.13

ACCESS TO JUSTICE

  • Nationally, there is only one public service attorney for every 10,000 people living in poverty.14
  • Many immigrant women and girls will wait five years for a hearing in U.S. immigration court due to pervasive backlogs.15
  • Nationwide, only 2% of immigrants facing removal in the U.S. are able to obtain pro bono legal representation.16
  • Legal representation is the single most important factor affecting the outcome of an asylum case. Without representation, odds of winning hover at 16.3%; with representation, odds increase to 45.6%. With Tahirih representation, however, odds of wining skyrocket to 99%.17

FORCED MARRIAGE

  • As many as 3,000 known or suspected cases of forced marriage were encountered in a two-year period all across the United States, according to a 2011 Tahirih survey of more than 500 social services professionals.18
  • Forced marriage is an issue that can impact individuals of any gender, age, religion, or cultural background. Tahirih’s 2011 forced marriage survey found cases among families and communities from at least 56 different countries.19
  • Only 16% of social services professionals feel equipped to help individuals facing a forced marriage, and too many victims are falling through the cracks.20

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