AI for Victim Justice in Refugee Status Determination: Enhancing Fairness and Protection

The modern welfare state has taken help from artificial intelligence (AI) (to enhance their operations) in order to suppress their appetite for good governance. India is an economically vibrant and welfare-oriented state in South Asia; however, it shares a 15,200-km-long border with seven other countries. The border that India is sharing is crisscrossed by varied geographical terrain inclusive of rivers, forests, mountains, deserts and so on. Geographical diversity marks the border to be porous, and poorly guarded. Porous borders and unstable neighbourhood enliven the ‘refuge emigration’ a persistent problem in India. The crucial stage in addressing the persistent refugee issue involves the process of refugee status determination (RSD). The bipartite standard of ‘well-founded fear of persecution’ is a key aspect of RSD (it entails assessing both the claimant’s subjective fear and the objective validation of that fear). However, credibility assessment, country of origin information analysis, risk prediction and decision support systems are many of the facets in which AI can provide valuable assistance. This research article explores the potential of AI in revolutionizing the process of RSD. Additionally, it delves into the ethical considerations, human rights implications and data protection regulations that must be carefully addressed when integrating AI into this critical domain.