Tahirih Justice Center
"Protecting immigrated women & girls from gender violence"
"In the next decade, more than 100 million girls worldwide will marry before their 18th birthday. Some will be as young as eight or nine; many will marry against their will."
"Around the world, at least one woman in every three has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime. In the United States, about 25% of women suffer domestic violence, with ongoing health problems that have been linked to the effects of living in a war zone."
"Internationally, 700,000 to two million women are trafficked across borders annually. The volume of trafficking grew by almost 50 percent from 1995 to 2000."
What Is Our Mission?
Expenses Breakdown
75.5% Goes to the Program
15.5% Goes to Administrative
8.9% Goes to Fundraising
Success Story
Helina left Ethiopia in 2009 on a boat to work as housekeeper.She needed to support her daughter, Ifrah and sent her to live with her grandparents.But when she go to the house, something happened. The owners of the house took her passport, locked her in the house, and left her tired, hungry and payless.
Helina’s bosses wanted to cut her ties to the world outside. Helina had to sneak out to call her daughter using borrowed calling cards from another worker.
Helina stopped keeping in touch with Ifrah when her employers took her on a trip the United States. She didn’t have access to her friend’s calling cards, and her employers monitored her every move.
With her daughter in mind Helina made a brave escape. One day, while the employers slept, she took back her passport and ran away. An Ethiopian taxi driver noticed Helina on the street and introduced her to an Ethiopian community in Houston. The community connected her to the Tahirih Justice Center. Together with her attorneys, she won legal protection from her employers. Her visa simultaneously gave Helina the chance to reunite with her daughter in the United States.
It took Helina and Ifrah, now 14, many excruciating months to prepare Ifrah’s application to join her in the United States. During this time, Helina received work authorization and began to make a living. She made new friends and found a supportive community. As the Courageous Voice Honoree at Tahirih's Houston Gala last fall, Helina shared her determination to see her daughter again.