The Tahirih Justice Center believes that to achieve justice for women, the law and societal institutions must be transformed to more effectively protect women from violence. Thus, the Center's staff and clients engage in a wide range of activities designed to raise awareness about the plight of women and immigrants and to transform law and policy.

Changing Policy

In litigating cases at the highest appellate levels, Tahirih sets new precedent and expands the boundaries of the law so that it provides the strongest protections for women facing violence. Tahirih also works closely with the highest levels of government to change statutes, regulations, and policies to ensure that they are responsive to the needs of the women for whom they are intended and that they are consistent with international standards of human rights.

Campaign to Prevent Exploitation by International Marriage Brokers:

The International Marriage Broker (IMB) industry (commonly known as "mail -order bride agencies") has grown dramatically in recent years, exploding in response to demands by American men for “traditional wives.”  Many of the men who use IMBs intentionally seek women who do not speak English and whom are they expect to be subservient.  Some of these men are violent predators who return to IMBs repeatedly to find their next victim.  These women, unfamiliar with the US legal system and given, at best, incomplete information about their legal rights, can find themselves in grave danger.  This rapidly growing industry was essentially unregulated before the passage of the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, signed into law in January 2006. Press Release     Summary of IMBRA     IMBRA Frequently Asked Questions

The urgency of this problem became clear when the Tahirih Justice Center worked with a Ukrainian woman who suffered brutal abuse by a husband with whom she was paired through a Maryland-based IMB.  The woman’s efforts to seek help from the IMB president were futile; she minimized the abuse and assured the woman that such behavior was a “normal” part of American culture.  She also gave her inaccurate information regarding her legal rights, leaving her with the clear impression that she had no choice but to endure the abuse or risk deportation—which was not true.  Particularly outrageous was the fact that this woman was the husband’s third “mail order bride” and the agency was aware of the abuse inflicted upon the previous brides.  

The number of such marriages has more than doubled since an often-cited 1999 INS report.  Based on 2004 statistics (the most recent available), It is now estimated that 9,500-14,500 marriages a year—a number that reflects one third to one half of all foreign fiancés who enter the US—take place between foreign women and American men as a result of “marriage broker” agency introductions.¹ While no official national statistics exist on the incidence of abuse in such marriages, experts agree it is “higher in this population than for the nation as a whole.”² One study of women in an analogous circumstance—immigrant women whose legal status depends on their US citizen or legal permanent resident spouse—found the rate of domestic violence to be as high as 77%.³

Newsflash:

• Court Decides Constitutionality of IMBRA - March 2007
• IMBRA Signed into Law - January 2006
• Newsweek Article Highlights Tahirih and Mail-Order Bride Abuse
• International Marriage Broker (IMB) Held Liable for Negligence and Fraud
• Tahirih and Arnold & Porter Win Landmark Case on Behalf of a Ukrainian IMB Recruit

Media Outreach

Tahirih's staff is frequently asked by media to serve as experts commenting on female genital mutilation, U.S. immigration policy, and women's rights. Additionally, the stories of Tahirih clients are highlighted to bring attention to the plight of women fleeing human rights abuses. Recent media appearances include: 

• December, 2003, NBC Nightly News ran a segment prepared by Pete Williams on abuse in brokered marriages and the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act. 
• January/February 2004 issue of Legal Affairs Magazine, “Mrs. America: The Business of Mail-Order Marriage,” by Nadya Labi. (http://www.legalaffairs.org/issues/January-February-2004/story_labi_janfeb04.html).  
•  January, 2004, the Chicago Tribune (“The Marriage Trap,” by Nancy Traver).  http://www.house.gov/schakowsky/article_1_07_04_marriage_trap.html. 
• May 2004, “’Cyber-brides’ vulnerable to abuse?”, by BBC reporter Olly Bootle, was posted online (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/3700409.stm)
• The May/June issue of Legal Affairs magazine (associated with Yale Law School) published a Letter to the Editor from Tahirih Justice Center.
• July, 2004, Pacifica Radio aired a piece on the new law confirming/conferring limited immigration enforcement powers on Virginia law enforcement.  For the full broadcast, see http://www.fsrn.org/news/20040720_news.html.
• Newsweek Article Highlights TJC and Mail-Order Bride Abuse: Click here for the article.

Expertise Utilized

Tahirih staff have traveled to over 60 cities in 7 different continents to consult with government officials and non-governmental organizations about ways that the law can better protect women from violence. The staff also gives speeches at universities throughout the United States and at conferences throughout the world on issues relating to women's rights, harmful traditional practices, and the treatment of refugees. The utilization of the Tahirih's expertise includes the following activities:

• In Brazil: Meeting with NGOs and the Minister of Justice in Brazil to encourage collaboration on the better application of laws to protect women from domestic violence.
• In Ghana: Working with NGOs and government officials in Ghana to explore ways that the law can be more effectively applied in remote parts of the country to protect young girls from Troikisi - a form of ritual sexual slavery where young girls are given to priests as reparations for crimes committed by family members.
• In Kuwait: Speaking at a conference to help attract publicity to the activities of women's organization in Kuwait trying to achieve the right to vote for women in their country.
• In New Zealand: Participating in meetings anre giving presentations to the Human Rights Commission, the Office of Women's Affairs, the New Zealand Human Rights Network, and groups of women lawyers and advocates.