Philomène Franssen was born in France. She holds a Master in Educational Pedagogies, a Diploma in Human Rights and Forced Displacement from the University for Peace in Costa Rica, and is currently a Candidate in the MA Refugee Protection & Forced Migration Studies at the University of London.

She has lived in Asia for twelve years, including nine in India where she was teaching French, in Cambodia and in Singapore where she taught at Nanyang Technological University while also volunteering as a legal aid provider, researcher and advocate in an NGO advocating for the advancement of migrant workers’ rights.

She has acquired a solid knowledge and experience of the region and as a member of Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network she advocates for the protection of refugees in Asia where the lack of domestic or regional legal frameworks is an exacerbating factor of vulnerability. Philomène now lives in Spain where she is a volunteer advocate with Amnesty International and also for a number of grass root initiatives that aim at empowering refugee communities.

Her interests include the rights of Indigenous Peoples, especially Tibetans with whom she has worked in India and for the cause of whom she has been fervently advocating, as well as access to higher education for refugees.

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