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Author	Prof Dr. Gigimon VS
Organisation/Institution	Amity Law School, Amity University Mumbai
Country	INDIA
Panel	Human Rights
Title	From Statelessness to Silence: Evaluating Non-Refoulement and the Protection Deficit for Refugees in Asia
Abstract	Abstract The protection of refugees in Asia presents a profound human rights challenge shaped by statelessness, weak legal safeguards, and shrinking humanitarian space. This paper examines the widening protection deficit faced by displaced populations through the lens of the principle of non-refoulement, focusing on three major refugee experiences in the region: the Rohingya fleeing persecution in Myanmar, Afghans displaced by decades of conflict and regime transitions, and Syrians seeking refuge across West Asia. Despite its status as a cornerstone of international refugee law, non-refoulement remains inconsistently observed across Asia, where many states are not signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol and instead rely on fragmented domestic frameworks, ad hoc policies, or securitised border controls. Through a comparative analysis of legal instruments, state practices, and regional geopolitics, the study highlights how the absence of formal recognition mechanisms, protracted encampment, limited access to asylum procedures, and forced returns reinforce cycles of invisibility and vulnerability. The research argues that refugee statelessness in Asia is not only a humanitarian crisis but also a structural legal failure that transforms exile into silence, depriving individuals of identity, security, and dignity. The paper concludes by proposing region-sensitive policy reforms, including harmonised asylum processes, expanded legal pathways to protection, and stronger oversight mechanisms, underscoring the need for an Asian rights-based approach that operationalises non-refoulement and restores agency to forcibly displaced communities. Keywords: Refugees, Statelessness, Non-refoulement, Rohingya, Afghan refugees, Syrian refugees, Asia, Human Rights, Refugee Law, Protection Gap.
Biography	Myself Prof.(Dr.) Gigimon V S, Director, Amity Law School, Amity University Mumbai.I completed my LL.B. from the University of Kerala and LL.M. from Hidayatullah National Law University, Raipur, followed by a Ph.D. in Law from Chanakya National Law University, Patna. I have nearly two decades of teaching and research experience, having served as Chair Professor and Associate Dean at Maharashtra National Law University, Mumbai, Associate Professor and Head of the Department (Law) at Mar Gregorios College of Law, and Founder Head of the Department at Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur. I have also worked with esteemed institutions including Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, Christ University, Bangalore, CMR Law School, Bangalore, and the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. Additionally, I served as Registrar of the Bar Council of Kerala Academy for Continuing Legal Education, Kochi. I was appointed as an Expert Member of the UGC Legal Education Committee on Transforming Legal Education and worked with Padma Bhushan Prof. N. R. Madhava Menon from 2012 to 2018 in organizing nationwide professional training programs for lawyers and law teachers. I have been involved in major research projects as Principal Investigator and have presented papers at various international and national platforms. My academic interests include ADR, IPR, Consumer Protection, Tort Law, and Human Rights. I have authored books, published research in Scopus and UGC-listed journals, and traveled internationally for academic engagements. I currently serve as Secretary of the Menon Institute of Legal Advocacy Training, Trivandrum, and the Commonwealth Legal Education Association, Asia-India Chapter.