Empowering Women Through Resilience

Laila’s story is only one among many. For example, in the U.S., thousands of women are forced into marriages each year . Organizations like the Tahirih Justice Center have helped hundreds avoid or escape such marriages . In one case, an American woman named Lina Alahri was taken to Yemen at 21 and almost forced to marry a stranger – a fate she only narrowly avoided by fleeing . These stories illustrate that forced marriage can even occur abroad on young people under legal guardianship.

Overall, survivors emphasize that forced marriage is a form of violence and enslavement. As Casey Swegman of Tahirih observes: “When a woman’s only option to reach safety is to capitulate to rape (in a forced marriage), that is a failure of the entire system” . Laila herself recalls multiple suicide attempts during her 16 years of abuse . Yet she survived, and now urges us all to pay attention

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Our Mission and Vision

“I Want Freedom” – Turning Pain into Purpose Through her ordeal, Laila made a promise: if she ever gained her freedom, she would tell her story and help others. In 2024, she fulfilled that promise with her book I Want Freedom and by founding the I Want Freedom nonprofit organization. She explains: “Proceeds from my book as well as donations will go towards my nonprofit… to save, shelter, and educate girls that are trapped in these tortuous situations.”

The nonprofit’s mission is to support girls rescued from forced marriages worldwide, providing safe housing, schooling, and trauma counseling. Laila says she created I Want Freedom to be “a voice for those who are suffering” at this very moment.
Nonprofit aims: Rescue girls from abusive marriages, provide shelter and education, and empower them to rebuild their lives.
Storytelling and advocacy: The book and speaking engagements raise awareness of this issue “we all need to know about.”
Community involvement: Laila appeals to readers—“Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers… together we can save some of these innocent young girls.”
By channeling her survival into activism, Laila joins a growing movement of survivors-turned-advocate

In the U.S., Unchained At Last fights forced marriage, and global coalitions like Girls Not Brides mobilize for change. Her organization is new but driven by clear goals: end the silence, help escape, and build brighter futures for these girls