Matter of Kasinga
Encyclopedia
The Matter of Kasinga was a legal case decided in June 1996 involving Fauziya Kassindja (surname also spelled as Kasinga), a Togo
lese teenager seeking asylum in the United States
in order to escape a tribal practice of female genital mutilation. The Board of Immigration Appeals
granted her asylum in June 1996 after an earlier judge denied her claims. The case set a precedent in United States immigration law
as applicants could now seek asylum in the United States from gender-based persecution, whereas previously religious or political grounds were often used to grant asylum.
Layli Miller-Muro
, the student attorney who represented Kassindja before the immigration judge, subsequently founded the Tahirih Justice Center
to provide legal aid and medical referrals to immigrant women escaping from gender-based violence and persecution. Karen Musalo, who spearheaded the litigation leading to the Board's positive decision in the case, founded the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS), a national organization based at the University of California
's Hastings College of the Law, which works to defend women refugees fleeing gender-based persecution. Kassindja (aka Kasinga) is a member of the CGRS Advisory Board.
Togo
Togo, officially the Togolese Republic , is a country in West Africa bordered by Ghana to the west, Benin to the east and Burkina Faso to the north. It extends south to the Gulf of Guinea, on which the capital Lomé is located. Togo covers an area of approximately with a population of approximately...
lese teenager seeking asylum in the United States
Asylum in the United States
The United States honors the right of asylum of individuals as specified by international and federal law. A specified number of legally defined refugees, who apply for asylum either overseas or after arriving in the U.S., are admitted annually. Refugees compose about one-tenth of the total...
in order to escape a tribal practice of female genital mutilation. The Board of Immigration Appeals
Board of Immigration Appeals
The Board of Immigration Appeals is the part of the Executive Office for Immigration Review that reviews the decisions of the Immigration Courts and some decisions of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. It is an administrative appellate body that is part of the United States Department...
granted her asylum in June 1996 after an earlier judge denied her claims. The case set a precedent in United States immigration law
Immigration law
Immigration law refers to national government policies which control the phenomenon of immigration to their country.Immigraton law, regarding foreign citizens, is related to nationality law, which governs the legal status of people, in matters such as citizenship...
as applicants could now seek asylum in the United States from gender-based persecution, whereas previously religious or political grounds were often used to grant asylum.
Layli Miller-Muro
Layli Miller-Muro
Layli Miller-Muro is the Executive Director of the Tahirih Justice Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting women from human rights abuses through the provision of legal aid and public policy advocacy...
, the student attorney who represented Kassindja before the immigration judge, subsequently founded the Tahirih Justice Center
Tahirih Justice Center
The Tahirih Justice Center, known simply as Tahirih, is a United States-based non-governmental organization that provides pro bono direct legal services and social and medical service referrals to immigrant women and girls who are fleeing from gender-based violence and persecution...
to provide legal aid and medical referrals to immigrant women escaping from gender-based violence and persecution. Karen Musalo, who spearheaded the litigation leading to the Board's positive decision in the case, founded the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS), a national organization based at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
's Hastings College of the Law, which works to defend women refugees fleeing gender-based persecution. Kassindja (aka Kasinga) is a member of the CGRS Advisory Board.