Lilit, Armenia

Lilit was married at the age of 16, against her parents’ wishes. She arrived in Denmark in 2005 with her husband, after he had escaped from prison and torture.

Italy and Denmark negotiated for years over which country should handle the case—and eventually, her husband was denied asylum in Sweden and deported back to Armenia.

In the meantime, they had a daughter, Nana. They lost contact when her father was deported and didn’t dare return to Armenia, so they lived underground in Sweden and Denmark for a year. Lilit got in contact with Refugees Welcome, and we helped to find a dentist for Nana among other things.

Suddenly, the father reappeared in Sandholm — completely changed and suffering from memory loss. He had been imprisoned again and had made his way out via Russia. RW helped reunite the family and reopen the asylum case.

With RW’s help and a skilled lawyer, the family was granted asylum in 2012. Today, Lilit works in a nursing home has built a strong Danish network and has a permanent residence permit. Nana has always been one of the top students in her class, and her little brother Michael has always refused to speak any language other than Danish.