Salvadoran Woman Escapes Violent Father and Husband

Maggie Morgan
Clinical Fellow

Via Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program

In a truly heart-wrenching case of domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual violence, HIRC attorneys Maggie Morgan and John Willshire Carrera, along with student Phebe Philips, were able to declare a victory for Kristina, whose name has been changed for privacy reasons. Kristina was granted asylum this year by an Immigration Judge in Boston, after escaping a horrific upbringing in El Salvador where her father and husband consistently and violently abused her mentally, physically, emotionally, and sexually.

When her husband decided to come to the United States over a decade ago, Kristina saw an opportunity to escape the abuse from her father, who continued to abuse her throughout her marriage.  Once in the United States, Kristina saw how the rights of woman in the United States were exercised and how domestic violence was treated as a crime, as opposed to in El Salvador where perpetrators of domestic violence were rarely punished. Realizing this, Kristina took the opportunity to leave her abusive husband as well.

Continue reading the full story here.