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Female Circumcised In Mali Fights For Asylum

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May 3, 2008 5:09 pm US/Eastern

Female Circumcised In Mali Fights For Asylum

SILVER SPRING, Md. (AP) ― Alima Traore doesn't remember when part of her genitals was removed as a young child in her native Mali. But even at 29, she still lives with the consequences.

There's the pain, the fear of future medical problems, and a persistent feeling that she has been robbed of an important element of being a woman.

Traore, whose student visa has expired, now faces deportation and the unsavory prospect of submitting to an arranged marriage with her first cousin if she returns home to Mali in West Africa.

Her petitions for asylum have so far been rejected by immigration courts and the Justice Department.

In recent months, several members of Congress have sent letters to Attorney General Michael Mukasey, asking him to intervene.

Meanwhile, Traore is in limbo while her case continues. She had planned to become a nurse but can't go to school without a student visa.

(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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