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By Christine Kumar

UMConnection staff

Bayo left her family, friends and a familiar world to join her new husband in the United States. She never imagined that leaving Africa, where her roots were firmly planted, would be so difficult, but she wanted to unite with her husband and give their unborn child a better life here.

As soon as she arrived, her husband began abusing her physically and emotionally.  Although he was a U.S. citizen, he purposely did not file paperwork for Bayo?s permanent residency.

 ?This kind of abuse is very common, said Justice for Our Neighbor?s lawyer, Sheryl Winarick. ?It?s another way to maintain control over a partner.?

After Bayo gave birth to their son, the abuse escalated. She feared for her life when her husband threatened her with a knife. She fled from the state where she resided, landing in Baltimore, where she found solace in a domestic abuse shelter.

The shelter referred her to JFON since Bayo?s husband refused to file U.S. citizenship paperwork for her and therefore, she did not have a work permit and could not work to support herself and her baby.

JFON filed for her legal status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). VAWA grants victims of domestic abuse full rights to petition for citizenship in the U.S. because of their tragic circumstances.

 Recently, the Baltimore-Washington Conference received a $50,000 grant from Helping Outreach Programs to Expand (Hope II) to increase its Justice for Our Neighbors program. The expansion includes a Domestic Immigration Relief (JFON-DAIR to care) clinic.

The clinic, which opened in February in Silver Spring, offers free legal services to abused victims in self-petitioning the U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services for legal immigration status.

The program relies heavily on volunteers. ?Volunteers are the backbone of the DAIR program,? said Tara Seabrook, volunteer coordinator for the DAIR clinic. ?It is their ownership of the program that will make DAIR effective.?

The volunteers coordinate schedules, provide hospitality, work directly with clients, assist the JFON attorney with preparing paperwork, filling out applications and research. This allows the attorneys to help more women and men who are desperate for this service.

It took two years for JFON to win Bayo?s case for citizenship because the immigration office misapplied the law. But now, Bayo and her American-born baby are able to make the United States their permanent home.

Bayo is at peace with her life and grateful to JFON for their help. She has a good job and has her own home. She is finally free from an abusive relationship that nearly destroyed her.

According to the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women, more than 4 million women are battered every year ? one in four women is likely to be abused once in her lifetime. Statistics are higher for women who come from other cultures.