9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Several years ago a young man[br]came to see me in my clinic.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He told me he was running for his life.

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He said that he fled his home

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because there, homosexuality[br]wasn't just illegal,

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in some cases it was punishable by death.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
So when his sexual[br]orientation was exposed,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
his family rejected him,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
his boss fired him

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and angry mobs repeatedly[br]attacked him in the streets.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And each time the police arrived[br]only to arrest him,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
detain

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and torture him further.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
And he knew that if he couldn't escape[br]the cycle of violence,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
he would surely be killed.

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So he had to do what he needed[br]to do to survive.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He left everything behind.

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All of his friends,[br]his family, his career.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
He fled his home,

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he escaped to the United States

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and here he applied for asylum.

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But like many people fleeing[br]this kind of persecution,

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he couldn't carry much.

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He had some basic ID,

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barely any money

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and a few other belongings.

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He certainly didn't bring[br]official documents

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from the police who tortured him.

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No videos from the mob[br]that tried to kill him.

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He didn't have this kind of evidence[br]to help support his claims,

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yet here he was,

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sitting in my clinic,

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showing me some of the most powerful[br]evidence of his persecution.

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That was the physical and psychological[br]scars that he brought with him.

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You see, he suffered from chronic,[br]debilitating pain.

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He had severe scars[br]scattered over his body,

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poorly healing wounds[br]that got infected over and over again.

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He suffered from severe depression

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and continued to regular, paralyzing[br]nightmares and flashbacks from PTSD.

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So we continued our work.

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We met regularly for months,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
documenting each of these pieces[br]of medical evidence.

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We went over the details of every attack,

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photographed his scars,

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documented his injuries and wounds,

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and we were even able to start[br]chronicling his slow but steady recovery

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while under our care.

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Working closely with his lawyers,

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I submitted a detailed affidavit,

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including the findings of this forensic[br]medical evaluation,

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and we included it as part[br]of his asylum application.

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And then we waited

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for several long years[br]while he navigated the courts.

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And then one day I got an email from him.

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It said that he was granted asylum.

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And everyone in the clinic was overjoyed.

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He said in his email that this was[br]the first time in years

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that he didn't fear deportation and death.

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It was the first time in years[br]that he truly felt safe,

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that he had the security[br]to rebuild his life all over again.

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And it was only through this medical[br]and legal advocacy

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that we were able to help restore[br]his legal status and his rights

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that he could do that,

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all through asylum.

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Now for many people fleeing persecution,

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they come to programs[br]and clinics like this

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telling unimaginable tales of violence

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and different reasons[br]they were persecuted.

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But one this is always the same.

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The violence meted against them[br]was met with complete impunity.

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Sometimes by the hands of the state[br]directly through police

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of military officials.

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In other cases,

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the state just turns a blind eye

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and condones the acts[br]of paramilitary groups

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or even violent domestic partners.

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In other cases,

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state is completely powerless

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to protect the vulnerable[br]from powerful gangs.

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Now we know that social determinants[br]of health play a huge role

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in determining the health[br]and well-being of our patients:

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housing,

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income,

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education,

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race,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
social inclusion.

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But the same can be true[br]for equal protection in the law.

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Due process.

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Especially in societies[br]for the most vulnerable,

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the marginalized

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and even those who are actively targeted,

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their access to these human[br]rights protections,

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that can mean the difference[br]between sickness and in health,

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and often it's the difference[br]between life and death.

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And for millions of people[br]who endure persecution and torture,

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the only way to heal

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is to acknowledge the human[br]rights abuses that have occurred,

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and to help restore the rights[br]and protections that were so violated.

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After the atrocities of World War II,

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the asylum system was set up[br]as one pathway to that kind of relief.

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But these days it seems like that pathway[br]has turned into an obstacle course,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
setting people up to fail.

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Asylum seekers oftentimes[br]don't know how to start

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let alone complete the process[br]that can drag on for years.

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They're not entitled to lawyers,

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so they don't know their rights.

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Increasingly, they're even being barred

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from setting foot in places[br]of potential refuge.

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They're arrested or prosecuted,

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even deported before they ever[br]get to see an asylum officer.

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And even if they do[br]make through the process,

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asylum grant rates[br]can be as low as 20 percent,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and far worse for some.

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It's almost like the system was designed

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
to keep people from[br]exercising their right.

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But there is something that many[br]of these people can do.

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Something that can potentially[br]increase their chances of success

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to 90 percent or more.

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So what makes the difference?

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Getting a lawyer and having[br]a medical evaluation.

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It's as simple as that.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
The man who came to my clinic[br]and won his asylum case.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Doctors and lawyers working together[br]to present all of the evidence,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
including the medical evidence,

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to the courts

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
allows judges to make informed[br]and just decisions.

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And it's this kind[br]of medical-legal partnership

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
that's now more important than ever.

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Because we live in a time[br]of epic forced migration

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due to violence and conflict.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
In 2018 there were 70 million[br]people worldwide forcible displaced

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
due to war, conflict and persecution.

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
It includes 40 million[br]internally displaced,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
25 million refugees

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
and three million asylum seekers.

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Here in the United States,

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we see the impact of escalating violence[br]in places like El Salvador,

9:59:59.000,9:59:59.000
Guatemala and Honduras,

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where murder rates can be high[br]as those in Syria and Afghanistan.