Impact: Refuge from a Violent Forced Marriage

Karina*, an 18-year-old Guinean, suffered horrific physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, including female genital mutilation, by the man her family forced her to marry. Karina's father abandoned her mother when Karina was very young. In his absence, her paternal uncles exercised their cultural right to choose her husband: a man three times Karina's age. Against her will, Karina became the man’s fourth wife. She escaped and entered the United States alone. The U.S. government arrested her and placed her in a shelter in Chicago. NIJC attorneys provided legal counsel to Karina and represented her in seeking asylum. After extensive advocacy by NIJC, the government granted Karina asylum.

*Name has been changed to protect client's privacy