O U R M I S S I O N
The primary mission of the New York Medical College Center for Human Rights (NYMCCHR) is to promote health advocacy and human rights for asylum seekers in the US through the provision of pro-bono forensic medical evaluations.
O U R S T O R Y
In 2017, there were 8,759 reported cases of human trafficking in the US: 72% sex trafficking and 15% labor trafficking. In January 2019, the US had a backlog of 325,277 asylum cases. Asylum seekers must apply for asylum within one year of arrival, which involves interviews and court hearings. Possible outcomes are asylum granted or withholding of removal.
An integral part of the asylum application is an objective medical evaluation which details any physical, psychological and/or sexual abuse experienced in one’s home country or journey. For asylum seekers, application approvals jump from 37.5% without a medical evaluation to 94% with one. Furthermore, local human rights organizations in Westchester County indicate backlogs of trafficking/asylum cases from the area.
The NYMC Center for Human Rights was founded in 2017 and completed its first evaluation in 2018. As of 2020, NYMCCHR has completed over twenty interviews and evaluations for asylum seekers by partnering with My Sister’s Place, a local human rights organization. Physicians for Human Rights, and several generous healthcare providers have volunteered alongside NYMC students to draft affidavits.
