User:Loveislaw/Legal Rights Institute

Legal Rights Institute is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization founded by Lily Mazahery that provides legal assistance to victims of human trafficking as well as refugees and asylum seekers. It was founded in 2002 and is now based in Washington, DC.

Mission Statement
"The Legal Rights Institute seeks to further the development of an international system of justice and advance human rights around the globe."

Purpose
The Legal Rights Institute seeks to:
 * 1) Provide legal assistance and resettlement assistance services to recognized political dissidents and other individuals who are unable to return to their home countries because of persecution or a well-founded fear of prosecution.
 * 2) Provide legal assistance to victims of human trafficking.
 * 3) Develop programs that facilitate improvements in legal education and access to and demand for justice, especially for women, minorities, and marginalized populations.
 * 4) Develop and support programs that protect the rights of refugees and victims of human rights violations, systematic oppression, and discrimination.
 * 5) Reduce and prevent violence against women and girls through the establishment of public awareness programs and dissemination of knowledge of rights.
 * 6) Implement programs to improve awareness of human rights among oppressed and marginalized populations.
 * 7) Raise awareness about the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States and abroad.

History
Legal Rights Institute was first founded in 2002 by Lily Mazahery. Nowadays, each week the Legal Rights Institute is contacted by over 200 immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers seeking assistance seeking some form of assistance. Almost half of all migrants seeking assistance have a valid legal claim or available legal avenue to obtain legal status as immigrants or refugees in the United States. The lawyers of the Legal Rights Institute have attained legal status for many of these people. The work of the Legal Rights Institute has been featured on 60 Minutes, CNN, CBS, NBC, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Economist, and dozens of other national and international news sources.

Events and Collaborations
10/30/2010 | DC Stop Modern Slavery Walk | Supported Fund-raising Efforts