Over the past two years HealthRight’s Human Rights Clinic (HRC) has seen demand skyrocket for its critical forensic and case management services. The HRC provided over 570 survivors of torture and other grave human rights abuses with forensic medical and psychological evaluations documenting trauma experienced, as an essential component of their claims for asylum in the U.S. Of these survivors, a record number requested follow-up case management assistance to help connect them with medical, mental health, housing, educational and other services in their communities.
The HRC assists asylum seekers from those areas around the globe with some of the most egregious human rights records. During this period, the HRC has focused particular efforts on meeting the needs of populations with emerging, escalating needs, such as those seeking safety from gang- and gender-based violence in Central America, and those facing persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity from around the globe.
Human Rights Clinic Volunteer Physician
Over the last year and a half, thousands of individuals from Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador – including many young children and their mothers – have sought protection in the U.S. from surging violence in their homelands. Poverty, weak rule of law, and corruption among security forces in these countries have rendered governments powerless to protect their citizens from gangs and other societal violence. The number of migrants from Central America seeking safety in the U.S. surged to record highs in 2014, and many of those individuals remain in legal limbo, including hundreds of families being held in detention centers. In response to the growing needs of this population, the HRC has mobilized its network of volunteer physicians and mental health professionals to assist this population, including recruiting new clinical volunteers with pediatric specialties, Spanish-language skills, and willingness to evaluate clients being held in detention (five of the HRC’s 12 sites around the country – Arizona, California, Colorado, New Jersey and Washington – are home to immigration detention facilities).
Similarly, growing numbers of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals from around the globe have been seeking asylum in the U.S., fleeing persecution and torture in home countries where violence resulting from homophobia, transphobia and anti-homosexuality laws is rampant. LGBT asylum seekers in the U.S. face particular obstacles accessing safety, security and wellbeing, including stigma, limited understanding by judges and immigration officials, and a lack of appropriate health and mental health services. The HRC is addressing the needs of this under-served population by identifying medical and mental health professionals with expertise on LGBT issues to join our roster of expert forensic evaluators. As these evaluations often serve as an entry point for linking LGBT asylum seekers with other services, the HRC is simultaneously partnering with LGBT-friendly medical, mental health, social service and community organizations around the U.S. to ensure appropriate free or low-cost assistance during and following the asylum-seeking process.
Lauren Pesso, Program Director
