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Guide to Establishing the Asylum Eligibility of Victims of Human Trafficking and Forced Marriage

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Guide to Establishing the Asylum Eligibility of Victims of Human Trafficking and Forced Marriage Guide to Establishing the Asylum Eligibility of Victims of Human Trafficking and Forced Marriage 2029 P Street, NW Suite 202, Washington, DC 20036 Tel: (202) 296-5702 Fax: (202) 296-5704 Website: http://humanrightsusa.org Email: [email protected] World Organization for Human Rights USA is an independent, affiliated national member of the international World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) and SOS Torture Networks. About the World Organization for Human Rights USA Human Rights USA is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that works to prevent human rights abuses through bold and innovative litigation in U.S. courts. Using impact litigation and other legal strategies, Human Rights USA seeks to obtain justice for victims of human rights violations, punish the violators, and ensure that U.S law upholds internationally recognized human rights standards. Acknowledgements This guide synthesizes the work of many dedicated lawyers, law students, advocates and survivors. The primary author of this handbook, Lynsay Gott, relied on the assistance of Elizabeth Badger, Dorothy Hwang and Soumya Kantemneni. Human Rights USA would also like to thank Monique Beadle and Morton Sklar for helping to get this project off the ground, and the many advocates at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies and the Tahirih Justice Center who were always available to provide insight or other assistance in case development and legal strategizing. The authors are particularly grateful to Daria Fisher Page, Greg Hoffman, Larry Katzman, Miriam Marton, Natalie Nanasi and Nirupa Narayan for their valuable suggestions that helped shape the drafting of this guide. Human Rights USA especially acknowledges our clients, the women whose bravery and determination paved the way for this handbook and continues to inspire us all. Support for this handbook was provided by the Moriah Fund and individual donors. Support for much of Human Rights USA’s asylum litigation on behalf of trafficked persons was provided by Equal Justice Works and Steptoe & Johnson, LLP. The statements and views expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of the funders. DISCLAIMER This guide is intended to provide attorneys representing refugees from trafficking and/or forced marriage with a legal framework for an asylum claim. However, the legal strategies, arguments, and authority included in this guide are not exhaustive and are not broken down for each individual federal circuit. This guide should not be used as a substitute for independent legal research or in place of an individualized strategy suited to the circumstances of each case. © World Organization for Human Rights USA 2011. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without the express permission of the authors. Table of Contents Introduction....................................................................................................................................................................... 3 I. Writing the Brief ..................................................................................................................................................... 9 A. Who is a Refugee? ........................................................................................................................................... 9 B. Build a Strong Evidentiary Record .......................................................................................................... 10 C. Statement of Facts ........................................................................................................................................ 13 D. Using International Materials ................................................................................................................... 14 E. Note on Organization.................................................................................................................................. 15 II. Persecution ........................................................................................................................................................... 16 A. Establishing Persecution for Survivors of Trafficking and/or Forced Marriage ..................... 16 B. Legal Authority ............................................................................................................................................... 19 III. Social Group ......................................................................................................................................................... 28 A. Defining the Social Group for Survivors of Trafficking and Forced Marriage ........................ 29 B. Common pitfalls ............................................................................................................................................ 30 C. Legal Authority on Social Group Definitions ...................................................................................... 31 D. Social Visibility and Particularity .............................................................................................................. 39 IV. Political Opinion & Religion ........................................................................................................................... 43 A. Political Opinion ............................................................................................................................................ 43 B. Religious Belief ............................................................................................................................................... 43 C. Establishing a Political Opinion or Religious Belief. ......................................................................... 44 V. Nexus ...................................................................................................................................................................... 45 A. The Persecutors’ Motivation. .................................................................................................................... 45 B. Establishing the Nexus. ............................................................................................................................... 46 C. Mixed Motive Cases. .................................................................................................................................... 49 VI. Well-Founded Fear ............................................................................................................................................ 52 A. The Rebuttable Presumption .................................................................................................................... 52 B. Establishing an Independent Well-Founded Fear............................................................................. 55 VII. Humanitarian Asylum ........................................................................................................................................ 58 A. Severe Past Persecution - § 1208.13(b)(1)(iii)(A) ................................................................................ 58 B. Other Serious Harm - § 1208.13(b)(1)(iii)(B) ........................................................................................ 59 VIII. Withholding of Removal .................................................................................................................................. 60 A. Threats to Life or Freedom ........................................................................................................................ 60 1 B. More Likely Than Not .................................................................................................................................. 60 IX. Convention Against Torture Protection ..................................................................................................... 62 A. What Type of Harm Qualifies as Torture? ............................................................................................ 62 B. Motivation of the Torturer ......................................................................................................................... 64 C. Acquiescence of Public Officials .............................................................................................................. 64 D. More Likely Than Not .................................................................................................................................. 66 Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................................................... 67 Authorities Cited ........................................................................................................................................................... 68 Index.................................................................................................................................................................................. 77 2 Introduction Purpose of this Manual: Every year, hundreds of thousands of people become victims of human trafficking or forced marriage.1 Some are taken away from their home countries and moved abroad, where they are forced to engage in prostitution, other forms of labor, or marriage. Others are trafficked internally within their countries of origin. Those who escape
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