Hughes Hubbard Obtains Asylum for West African Woman

December 7, 2018 — Hughes Hubbard secured asylum for an HIV-positive female genital mutilation and domestic violence victim, who fled from Burkina Faso to the United States to escape a forced marriage.

The firm’s client, a native of Burkina Faso, was forced to undergo female genital mutilation when she was only 3 years old.  As a young woman, she suffered extreme domestic violence at the hands of her family, fled from two attempts at forced marriage, contracted HIV in 2016 as a result of a blood transfusion she received for a severe malarial infection and nearly died from the lack of adequate HIV treatment.
 
In July 2017, the client fled with her child from Burkina Faso to the U.S., where she knew no one.
 
The African Services Committee referred the client to HHR in June 2018. HHR submitted a brief arguing that she qualified for asylum based on past persecution in the form of female genital mutilation and forced marriage attempts and a reasonable fear of future harm if she were returned to Burkina Faso.
 
On Nov. 1, 2018, the USCIS approved the client’s application for asylum. Now she can remain in the U.S. with her son indefinitely.
 
Jack Kilgard, Adam Weinstein and Jordan Pate worked on this matter, with supervision by Meaghan Gragg.