Escaping Forced Marriage and FGM: Mary's Story

 Mary* (a fictional name) is a young woman from Mali.

After her father died, her uncle tried to force her into a marriage she did not consent to. When she resisted, he became physically violent and threatened her life. She was eventually forced into her husband's home, where she was subjected to repeated physical and sexual violence.

As a child, Mary had already undergone Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a practice that remains widespread in Mali, affecting around 89% of women. She fled her new home to escape being forced into undergoing this again as part of a ritual she was about to be subjected to. When she sought refuge with her family, she was not protected. Instead, she was sexually assaulted by another relative, leaving her without a safe place to turn.

Mary travelled onward through Turkey, where she was given a fraudulent document by someone who had offered to help her find work. As a result, she was detained for an extended period before being released. She then travelled to Greece.

After arriving in Greece, Mary was staying at a reception facility when she contacted ELIL to prepare for her asylum interview. ELIL's legal team met with her to explain the asylum procedure, helped her prepare for her interview, accompanied her on the day, and submitted a detailed legal memo in support of her claim.

Following this, the Greek Asylum Service recognised that Mary had experienced physical, psychological, and sexual violence, and that her case required special procedural guarantees, meaning her interview and asylum process were adapted to take her experiences into account.

Mary was granted international protection and is now a recognised refugee in Greece, with the right to work, study, and access healthcare.

*Personal details have been changed to protect the identity of the applicant.