The two women met for the first time last week at a sleek Georgetown hotel, where they were speakers at a glittering charity dinner. They shook hands and hugged across a vast gulf of culture, geography and faith: one a devout Muslim from West Africa with her hair carefully hidden under a tight scarf, the other a gregarious South Asian in a stylish sari and costume earrings.

Tahirih Houston celebrated International Women’s Day on March 8, 2012, with a gathering to honor pro bono attorneys, volunteer interpreters, and others who have assisted Tahirih throughout the year.

Tahirih held a training for frontline service providers on identifying and supporting victims of forced marriage—the first training of its kind in the United States on March 2, 2012.

For many of us, reports on women and girls being threatened with violence and forced to marry seem distant and incomprehensible.

Dear Friends, Today is International Women’s Day—a global holiday celebrating the achievements of women worldwide since the early 1900s. International Women’s Day recognizes the many contributions that women make to […]

We were in the courtroom and I caught my client’s eyes. They filled with tears, and then she looked forward toward the judge and jury. She was a very small Ukrainian woman and very scared.

Forced marriage is an issue that has increasingly come to our attention as Tahirih received calls for help from around the country. There is a regrettable lack of information in the United States about forced marriage, there are no laws designed to protect forced marriage victims, and there is a void in community dialogue and advocacy on the issue.