Migration and Asylum Project
Empowers displaced and migrant communities in India through legal support and advocacy, led by women and grounded in Rule of Law principles
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About
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Headquarters
New Delhi, Delhi
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Since
2013
The Migration and Asylum Project (MAP), founded by former UN legal experts in 2013, aims to revolutionize India's approach to migration and displaceme Read morent. Its mission is to counter the deprivation faced by migrant and forcibly displaced communities by enabling their access to mainstream legal systems. MAP, managed exclusively by women and led by women, was previously known as Ara Legal Initiative. Its inception came from Roshni Shanker, the organisation's founder, during her work evaluating asylum claims from conflict-affected regions at UNHCR's field offices. Roshni recognized the essential role of legal aid in post-displacement recovery, motivating her to leave the UN and establish a grassroots organisation in India, addressing the unique gaps within the local context. The central objective of MAP is to target migrants' core vulnerability - their limited control over legal status - by placing Rule of Law principles at the forefront. The organisation employs inventive strategies to design and implement programmes that integrate migrants and refugees into established legal frameworks, ensuring their access to universal human rights. With a dedicated law centre focused on studying migration and refugee movements, MAP operates in India, a significant migration hub in South Asia. The nation hosts numerous internal migrants, refugees, and internally displaced individuals, often women and children, who have left their homes due to conflict, persecution, natural disasters, or extreme poverty. Sadly, many of these displaced individuals lack legal recognition and rights, owing to the absence of domestic laws or inadequate enforcement of existing regulations.
Demographies Served
Cause Area
Programs
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Legal Awareness Programme
MAP prioritizes legal awareness to empower communities. Through community-based initiatives, it simplifies laws via innovative media, benefiting 1100+ migrants. MAP trains "barefoot advocates" and Paralegal Volunteers, collaborates with service providers and engages stakeholders for grassroots justice awareness. It conducts clinical legal education with top universities for practical understanding.
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Legal Assistance Programme
MAP provides tailored legal aid to displaced communities, with a focus on survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Serving 9,000+ asylum seekers, including 80% women/children, MAP addresses their legal status challenges, preventing exploitation. It offers a labour rights desk for migrant workers, aids refugees through a unique partnership with UNHCR, and engages legal practitioners for justice. Multi-sectoral collaboration involves 30+ partners and medical support from MSF. In response to COVID-19, MAP distributed information, coordinated services, and launched a digital tools project for legal aid and support against increasing SGBV cases.
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Advocacy Programme
Advancing the rights of displaced communities through advocacy, MAP engages in domestic and international networks, collaborating with governing bodies, to identify protection gaps and develop evidence-based policy solutions. In addressing India's stance as a non-signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention, MAP drafted a comprehensive asylum framework aligned with India's policies and legal principles, endorsed by a Member of Parliament in 2015. Collaborating with legal practitioners, MAP devises strategies and provides support for strategic litigation to protect displaced communities' rights. It fosters regional engagement for innovative legal solutions and conducts targeted research, mapping legal systems, identifying challenges, and sharing findings to promote social inclusion and practical rights access for displaced populations.
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Art Programme
Taking a multidisciplinary approach, MAP combines art and human rights to create lasting change. Leveraging the power of art for outreach and advocacy, MAP's initiatives include immersive exhibitions, photography, and digital stories. The immersive art experience "Passage to Asylum" portrayed refugees' journeys symbolically, shedding light on the operation of asylum laws. "Atiqa" empowers Afghan refugee women through traditional embroidery, providing livelihoods and preserving culture. Through photography exhibitions and digital stories, MAP amplifies refugee narratives, aiming to humanize the crisis and reshape public discourse. These artistic efforts transcend barriers, uniting communities and fostering empathy for displaced individuals.
Leadership Team
Demographics & Structure
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No. of Employees
21-50
M&E
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Internal, External Assessors
No
Policies
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Ethics and Transparency Policies
No
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Formal CEO Oversight & Compensation Policy
No
Political & Religious Declarations
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On Affiliation if any
No
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On Deployment Bias if any
No
Registration Details
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FCRA
231661673
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CSR Registration Number
Not Available
Location
Other Details
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Parent Organisation
Ara Trust
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Type & Sub Type
Non-profit