Growing up as an Ahmadi minority in Pakistan, a 17-year-old Nadia, her mother, and her little brother had long lived amid extensive discrimination and different forms of abuse. The situation of Nadia’s family deteriorated after her mother had decided to divorce her abusive father after 13 years suffering from domestic violence with frequent beatings by her father.
Nadia and her family arrived in Thailand in 2014 and knew about AAT from their neighbors. AAT helped prepare her family’s first instance testimony and supporting legal documents to submit to the UNHCR and also prepared them for Refugee Status Determination interview. With AAT’s help, Nadia and her family were successfully granted refugee status within one year.
We introduced Nadia to a refugee youth group supported by Asylum Access Thailand called Riders of the Storm. Thanks to them, Nadia is now studying for her GED and has reignited her dreams of studying at university.