The NY Times recently published an Op-Ed about Assiya Rafiq, a young Pakistani girl who had been sold to criminals by a family friend.

“After being kidnapped at the age of 16 by a group of thugs and enduring a year of rapes and beatings, Assiya Rafiq was delivered to the police and thought her problems were over. Then, she said, four police officers took turns raping her.”

But instead of letting injustice prevail, Assiya is fighting back.

The NY Times reports that Assiya is prosecuting both her kidnappers and the police, despite threats against her and her younger sisters. 

“I decided to prosecute because I don’t want the same thing to happen to anybody else,” [Assiya] said firmly.  

However, Assiya’s fight won’t be an easy one by any means.

“The family is in hiding. It has lost its livelihood and accumulated $2,500 in debts. Assiya’s two sisters and three brothers have had to drop out of school, and they will find it harder to marry because Assiya is considered “dishonored.”

Most of her relatives tell Assiya that she must give in. But she tosses her head and insists that she will prosecute her attackers to spare other girls what she endured. “

Nicholas Kristof, the Op-Ed writer, has already raised $75,000 to help Assiya’s efforts. Read more updates about Assiya and her case on his blog.

*Picture by Nicholas D. Krustos, NY Times

YES, IT IS THAT COMMON.

How Common?

5.3 million women abused by their partners every year

1,300 women die every year from abuse

This morning on MSNBC, Dr. Nancy Snyderman and author Leslie Morgan Steiner, a survivor of domestic violence, spoke about why women go back to their abusers and how the oversimplification of domestic violence is destructive to the issue at hand.

Steiner stresses that what helped her the most were “people who really understood and didn’t judge me ….and [who said] look you’re really in danger here and you are the last person on earth who can help this man break his own cycle of violence”

Psychologist Jeff Gardere emphasizes that responsibility falls on friends and family to address both the abuser and the victim in an abusive relationship. He also stressed that “Victims tend to fall back into domestic violence situations if they don’t address their own psychological concerns…”

We welcome survivors and friends and family to share their stories so we may all learn from their experiences.

In the past, OAA has received several questions regarding immigration and how to leave an abusive partner while acquiring the proper visas and documentation. The following post outlines two important visas that can help immigrant women acquire work permits and eventually their green cards.

Immigrants who are victims of domestic violence can leave their husbands and obtain the right to stay in the United States through “T” and “U” visas. These relatively unknown visas are available to victims of crime and trafficking who cooperate with police and prosecutors, despite fear of deportation.

According to The Oregonian, “Only recently has the government started approving the “T” and “U” visas, although the law meant to protect undocumented immigrants who are victims of crime has been in place for nine years. Thousands of such visa petitions have been filed across the country”

About the Visas:

Congress created two new nonimmigrant visa categories with the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000.

T Visa:

The T visa provides legal status for victims of trafficking, including those who are recruited for labor or services through force, fraud or coercion. T visa holders are also eligible for a year of public assistance.

U Visa:

The U visa is designated for victims of crimes such as murder, assault, rape and sexual exploitation. The criminal activity must violate U.S. laws and/or occur in the United States.

Both visas allow applicants to secure legal status and a work permit for four years, as well as petition for certain family members. After three years, visa holders may apply for a green card.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials recently announced they intend to use the 10,000 visas available this fiscal year. This year, more than 1,600 U visas have been granted, many of them in recent months.

“The sudden flurry of approvals — several dozen were granted in Portland just last month — illustrates the Obama administration’s move toward protecting illegal immigrants exposed to abuses at home and in the workplace instead of prosecuting and deporting them.” Gosia Wozniacka, Oregonlive.com

Source: The Oregonian

Read more about an immigrant women’s journey and how she was able to obtain a protective visa.