The rise
of the non-state persecutor is one of the most significant developments in
refugee and asylum law in recent years. We see the impact of the non-state
persecutor all around the world, with the rise of ISIS and other non-state
militant movements in the Middle East, the proliferation of criminal gang and
drug cartel attacks in Central America and Mexico, and the brutal spread of
domestic violence everywhere. How has refugee and asylum law responded? How
should the law respond? For example, is the traditional distinction between
asylum seekers and internally displaced persons still relevant when our
concepts of statehood are changing? When the persecutor is an abusive spouse or
a neighborhood gang, are you a refugee or merely a migrant? And is the rise of
asylum fatigue connected to the shifting identity of persecutors? This panel
explores the impact of the non-state persecutor on refugee protection.
Business meeting at program conclusion.