In a world where justice often feels out of reach, the Advancing Refugee Protection and Promoting Accountability in Southeast Asia through Legal Empowerment and Refugee Leadership (ARPR) Project is rewriting the narrative of the struggle of refugee communities for protection and justice. A groundbreaking Participatory Action Research (PAR) initiative, the ARPR Project champions legal empowerment, supporting refugees in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia with the ability to know, use, and shape the laws that define their lives.
In Thailand, at the heart of this project are the Refugee-Led Network (RLN) and paralegals, under close supervision of Asylum Access Thailand (AAT). The RLN’s refugee-driven advocacy and paralegals’ legal guidance for their communities are a bold step toward legal empowerment.
As the first PAR initiative with refugees in Southeast Asia, by engaging refugee communities as equal partners in the research, we ensure that their experiences shape policies and programs that truly serve them. Key findings so far in Thailand? Many refugees remain vulnerable to detention and lack access to healthcare and jobs. So far, the project has involved training RLN members and paralegals, developing legal handbooks, and strengthening partnerships to push for policy change.
Looking ahead, the ARPR Project will expand legal clinics, enhance advocacy, and prepare for a regional conference in Bangkok in late 2025 to share the final results from the research. Risks? The journey isn’t without its challenges navigating legal complexities and safeguarding participants’ well-being is a priority.
Join us in shaping a future where refugees stand empowered, not overlooked. Read the full project brief here.
If you want to learn more about the work that AAT does, visit our page at https://asylumaccess.org/where-we-work/thailand/ or email us at thailand@asylumaccess.org