As Congress prepares to wrap up the year, here’s an update on some of the behind-the-scenes advocacy work TAF has done just in the fall of this year.
U.N. General Assembly
Mariam Ibraheem and Anne Basham attended UNGA 2019 in New York City to hear the President’s historic speech and to advocate for a repeal of blasphemy and apostasy laws globally which imprisoned her and millions of others.
H. Res. 512 – The Global Repeal of Blasphemy, Heresy, and Apostasy Laws
TAF met with numerous congressional offices and successfully persuaded several members of Congress to cosponsor this resolution. Because of our combined efforts with other NGOs, this resolution is likely to pass the House soon and to be introduced in the Senate shortly.
Free Leah Sharibu
Leah Sharibu’s story captured our hearts, and we worked with the LEAH Foundation and ICON to advocate for her release on Capitol Hill and at a worldwide prayer vigil which was held in front of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. as well as various locations on nearly every continent. Please continue to pray for Leah’s release as well as the advocacy efforts that are continuing in Nigeria.
Yazidi Orphans Reunited
TAF has been working with the White House and USCIRF to reunite Yazidi orphans with their family in Iraq. Please continue to pray for success in these efforts.
New Prime Minister of Sudan
Sudan is an influential nation not only in Africa but also in the Middle East. TAF conveyed our opinion about recent changes in Sudan to key U.S. government leaders who met with new Sudanese Prime Minister Hamdok during his visit to Washington, D.C. a few weeks ago. It was indicated that our contributions were used to shape key discussions about the role of women and the repeal of blasphemy and apostasy laws in Sudan.
Humanitarian Parole for Neda and Mona
This is perhaps our most exciting advocacy effort, and we look forward to sharing more about this in the near future. We are working with Senator Blackburn’s office and Grace Chapel in Franklin, TN to secure a humanitarian parole for these women and their families which will allow them to resettle in Tennessee as early as January of 2020! Please pray for a speedy final approval and protection during this time of waiting.
What’s coming up in 2020?
H.Res. 512
After successful advocacy efforts in the House, TAF is partnering with other NGOs to ensure the swift passage of this resolution in the Senate before the UN Human Rights Summit in Geneva in March.
UN Human Rights Summit in Geneva
Mariam Ibraheem and Anne Basham will be attending this summit in March. Mariam has been asked to speak about how blasphemy and heresy laws target women around the world and why it is imperative that they be repealed. They will also conduct several key advocacy meetings during the week.
Child Welfare
Although most of our advocacy work is international, we are excited to address domestic policy changes that impact women and children leaving domestic violence here in the U.S. TAF has already begun researching and spearheading the development of a coalition of NGOs and legal experts to bring about policy changes in child welfare.
And more…When considering where to focus our time and efforts, our working motto is “join God where He is working.” We are excited to see where He asks us to speak up in 2020.
What can you DO?
- Continue to support us financially. Without your donations, we won’t exist and many of these causes will not be adequately addressed. Read HERE about the impact of your donations. Thank you for your support which is enabling us to continue to these efforts and expand our work.
- Sign up for our email list. Many stories can’t be shared on social media or this website for security purposes, but we can share on email! You’re missing out on many things if you’re not subscribed to email updates.
- PRAY. The Bible says, “We have an advocate to the Father, Jesus Christ,” (John 2:1). Jesus advocates for us through prayer, and we want to pray for YOU. We would also appreciate your prayers for the TAF team. We are a group of women who greatly appreciate your prayers for us and our families and that God would make our efforts successful (Psalm 90:17).