Tahirih’s policy work is rooted in our core values and in our specific theory of change. Inspired by the Bahá’í faith and grounded in our belief in the oneness of humanity, we reach for a society that embraces our diversity and guarantees everyone’s human rights. Our mission is to advance policies and laws that enable immigrant survivors of gender-based violence to pursue legal immigration status, live in safety, and forge their own paths. Everything we do is in service of that goal.

The immigration system is shattered. Survivors are denied access to safety because of policies and practices that could be fixed. The Tahirih Justice Center is prioritizing the following policy goals to immediately improve protections for immigrant survivors while simultaneously seeking long-term, systemic change.

The Los Angeles Times immigration reporter, Andrea Castillo, spoke with Tahirih’s Senior Litigation Counsel, Richard Caldarone, about the new asylum regulations and what they mean for survivors of violence. 

Tahirih’s Managing Attorney, Payal Sinha, wrote an opinion piece published by otherwords.org. The commentary explains why 1.4 million immigrants are stuck waiting on work permits, which is threatening their ability to survive.

The Washington Post’s columnist Petula Dvorak interviewed Tahirih’s Public Policy Director, Casey Swegman Carter, on the importance of passing a legislation that would end child marriage in Maryland. This is the seventh year a bill has been introduced that seeks to ban child marriage in the state.

Tahirih’s Senior Public Policy Associate, Alex Goyette, wrote an opinion piece for the Baltimore Sun. The commentary elevates the importance of passing legislation to end child marriage in Maryland. 

Tahirih’s Director of Public Policy, Casey Swegman, was interviewed by ABC Baltimore about the importance of banning child marriage and fixing state laws that perpetuate the issue. Tahirih hopes that Maryland’s legislative session will move forward with a bill that heads in the right direction to ending child marriage. 

Univision reporter sheds light on the hard journey of a Tahirih client and explains the importance of ‘gender’ becoming a basis of asylum.

Tahirih’s Force Marriage Initiative team wrote an op-ed published in Teen Vogue that explains how R&B star Aaliyah was able to be married to R. Kelly when she was just 15 years old. 

Read the full article here.

Emiene Wright, associate editor for Caroline and Pine, explains the impact of North Carolina’s recent child marriage bill that will soon go into effect. Casey Carter Swegman, Tahirih’s Force Marriage Initiative Project Manager, weighs in on how this law is a step into the right direction but there’s a lot more work to be done.

Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee Rights Program, explains why we must include “gender” as a ground for asylum protections. Read the full opinion piece here on The […]