When Maria talks about how escaping her abuser has meant ending up in jail with her daughter, she can’t hold back her tears. Before more jails for women and children spring up across the country, our nation needs to hear 2-year-old Sophie cough and watch 18-year-old Maria cry, like I did.

As the leading U.S. organization advocating for better protection and support for domestic forced marriage victims, Tahirih welcomes the Canadian government’s commitment to address these fundamental human rights abuses, but has concerns about the bill itself and the ways it may be interpreted and applied.

The fourth installment of “Honoring Our Heartbeats: A Tour to End Forced Marriage in the U.S.,” which took place at the Rutgers University Institute for Women’s Leadership, incorporated two short films, a skit performance and an open panel discussion to talk about forced marriages and similar forms of domestic abuse.

The Administration’s executive action on immigration will bring some relief to the families and communities, and that it will help many women and children to protect their safety and dignity. But more additional measures need to be taken to bring about a more efficient and human immigration system.

What’s the most interesting question in the aftermath of President Obama’s executive action on immigration?

Honoring Our Heartbeats: A Tour to End Forced Marriage in the U.S. will bring three events to New Jersey on Dec. 3-4, including a powerful multimedia performance, a forced marriage training workshop for service providers, and an issue briefing about efforts to foster a coordinated, national response to forced marriage in the U.S.

“Honoring Our Heartbeats: A Tour to End Forced Marriage in the U.S.” stops in San Francisco from Nov. 5-7.