LEGAL WINS! Respond clients receive protection
At Respond Crisis Translation, every win is hard-fought. Working at the frontlines of suffering, injustice, and violence worldwide, we cherish every success and piece of good news we receive about the clients we serve.
Here are two recent success stories that testify to the life-changing impact Respond's work has for these clients.
In the past month, two Respond clients have received relief: a man from West Africa who was persecuted in his home country for being gay, and a man from Haiti who was imprisoned due to his political beliefs.
Respond's Hausa interpreter Musa Abubakar provided 22 hours of consecutive interpretation in practice sessions with the West African client in preparation for his asylum hearing.
"Practicing helped our client feel as confident as possible so that he could tell his story before the Immigration Court," said Professor Claire Thomas, the director of New York Law School's Asylum Clinic. Thanks in part to Musa's "patience and diligence," the client, who fled his home country over five years ago after being attacked for his sexual orientation, was granted asylum in the US.
Respond's Haitian Creole translators and interpreters also helped Jessica Riley at Lawyers for Good Government communicate with her client, who was falsely imprisoned and tortured in Haiti. Thanks in part to Respond's efforts – interpreting meetings between the client and his lawyer, and translating multiple drafts of the client's formal declaration – the client was granted Withholding of Removal under the Convention Against Torture, released from detention, and reunited with his family on Christmas Eve.
The Haitian client particularly thanked interpreter Olivier Veillard for giving him "support and strength" throughout the process, while lawyer Jessica writes, "This was my first time representing a Haitian client in court, and I learned so much from all of you. From your team members who would explain not only what words meant but relevant cultural context, to you giving such valuable feedback on our written translations, your support was invaluable. Because of your help, not only is this client free, but I feel more prepared to take on the next case."
