Serbia: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support
Serbia Progress Report – July 1 – July 31, 2016
October 07, 2016
N'Deane Helajzen
Summary of Activities
Situation Assessment
Asylum: A Basic Human Right
Seeking asylum is a basic human right, and according to international law, an asylum seeker should be granted access to the territory of the country where asylum is sought. In an alarming development, as of July 2nd, rumors have spread that the border to Hungary will completely close soon. These rumors are likely related to the new Hungarian law legitimizing pushbacks to Serbia, which will take effect on July 5th. As a result, hundreds of refugees and migrants have left and continue to leave Belgrade and other locations to quickly reach the north of Serbia. 240 persons expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia, bringing the total for July to 1,515 and for the year 2016 to 6,136 (Ministry of Interior). During this reporting period, Real Medicine Foundation continued to provide outreach medical support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week across affected locations in the Belgrade city center.
Full Report
Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Waiting for Admission
Numbers Rising
From June 30th to July 3rd, 920 people on average were waiting for admission at the Kelebija and Horgos I border crossings. 41% are women and children. With rumors of the Hungarian border closing, numbers are estimated to increase to 1,500 or above. This is a particularly challenging and difficult protection and humanitarian situation, described by the United Nations as a ticking time bomb.
Violence at the Border
Increased Hungarian Security
There are ongoing joint efforts to encourage asylum seekers not to wait at the border, but to wait in Subotica RAP. Concerns have been expressed regarding allegations of pushbacks and violence at the Hungarian-Serbian border, “disproportionate use of force by Hungarian authorities,” and there are regular testimonies of Hungarian authorities reacting brutally to irregular entry attempts. There were 2 casualties at the border on June 1st. Over 1,400 asylum seekers were present at the end of the reporting period at the Hungarian border: on July 13th, 756 were at Horgos I and 254 at Kelebija. 33 asylum seekers reported having been pushed back from Hungarian territory into Serbia without being allowed to file an application for asylum in Hungary. Apprehensions were made far deeper than 8km into Hungarian territory, and the Hungarian government has significantly enhanced border security with 10,000 soldiers and police officers, as well as drone, infrared, and helicopter surveillance.
Thousands of Refugees
Denied Access
On July 6th, over 120 asylum seekers reported to authorities, the UN, and partners that they were denied access to asylum procedures in Hungary and were instead pushed back into Serbia outside of readmission or return procedures. These developments are further aggravating the situation in Serbia, both outside the Hungarian “transit zones” of Horgos and Kelebija, and in Belgrade’s city center. Thousands of refugees are waiting in desperate and inhumane conditions to be allowed to enter EU territory. As of July 16th, 664 individuals have been sent back to Serbia through the fence.
During 2016, 4,814 persons have expressed their intent to seek asylum in Serbia. In Belgrade, the situation remains challenging. The numbers of refugees are swelling. New commercial possibilities are opening up for traffickers/smugglers and organized crime. People are offering hidden accommodation and charging vulnerable people high prices. The risks that persons of concern are exposed to is increasing. An average of 570 refugees/migrants stay overnight in the Belgrade city center, while only around 190 asylum seekers are sheltered at the Asylum Centre of Krnjača.
Background
& Objectives
Background
RMF has been responding to the refugee crisis in Serbia since January 2016, by providing comprehensive protection and medical services, including emergency triage, to persons of concern. Our teams work in and around the Belgrade city center and at Obrenovac Transit and Reception Centre, the second largest refugee camp in Serbia. We operate 3:00 PM to 10:00 PM five days a week at our mobile medical clinic located in Obrenovac, with a second medical team providing referrals for secondary and tertiary care institutions. From 2017 to 2018, we also provided services near the border with Croatia, operating the medical clinic at Adaševci Transit Centre from 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM, seven days a week.
Additional programs include a mobile dental clinic at Obrenovac Transit and Reception Centre—the first of its kind in Serbia—providing dental care for migrants, who previously only had access to emergency interventions. RMF Balkans also distributes hygiene kits at six camps throughout Serbia to help improve personal hygiene and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. To improve the residents’ quality of life, RMF renovated Obrenovac Transit and Reception Centre in 2018 and continues to maintain and use the renovated facilities to conduct cultural and empowerment activities.
Objectives
- Provide comprehensive protection and assistance response
- Provide material assistance and information
- Provide psychosocial support
- Provide translation and cultural mediation services
- Support existing medical institutions with capacity and mobility
- Establish an information dissemination hotline
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Photos
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Numbers
Served
On July 28th, there were:
1,267 beneficiaries
RMF Mobile Medical Outreach Team
Working Locations
- Asylum Information Center
- Miksalište Centre for Refugees
- Park at the bus station
- Ophthalmology Clinic in “Pasterova Street”
- Dentist “Majestik”
- Train station
- Afghani Park
- Park near the Faculty of Economics
- Emergency Department
- Military Medical Academy (MMA)
- Savska Police Station
- Dental clinic “Majestic”
- Urgentni Centar, Kliničkog Centra Srbije
- Krnjača Camp for Asylum Seekers
- Primary care facility Dom Zdralija Savski Venac
- University Children’s Hospital “Tiršova”
- Orthopedic Clinic “Banjica”
- ORL (Otorhinolaryngology clinic), Klinika za uho, nos i grlo
- Clinical Center of Serbia
- Clinic for Burns and Plastic Surgery
- Gynecological hospital “GAK Visegradska”
- Institute of Dermatology
- Infectiv Clinic and Emergency center
- Pediatric clinic “Institut za majku I dete”
- Pulmonology clinic
- Psychiatric department of Laza Lazarevic Hospital KCS Vascular surgery
Success
Stories
Unusual Symptoms
Restoring Health
We examined a one-year-old girl who was suffering with irregular breathing for two hours and found no signs of any illness, except that her fontanel was down and her body temperature was 38 degrees. The young girl was wearing a lot of clothing and had two blankets. We suspected that her high body temperature was caused by being over clothed. We advised the mother to keep her naked and to breastfeed her. We examined the mother’s milk, and it was healthy, physiological milk. We monitored the baby for an hour, and found that her body temperature had lowered since she was undressed. At 6:00 AM she had a normal body temperature and was breathing normally. The baby also had scabies. We explained to the mother how to use benzyl benzoate medication.
Flu Diagnosis
Examining and Giving Advice
A two-year-old girl had flu-like symptoms a few days before and had a fever. At the beginning, the changes on her skin where vesicular, and they changed to pus and then crust. We suspected that she had chickenpox. We measured her fever at 38.2 degrees. Her throat and lungs where clear. We gave her 7.5 ml of paracetamol syrup (one dose) and advised the mother to see a doctor again if the young girl’s fever persisted.
Malaria Diagnosis
Helping with Medicine and Transport
A sixteen-year-old boy with a three-day fever explained that MDM doctors had given him amoxicillin. We examined him and found that his lungs and throat were clear, his abdomen was soft, and he seemed to have hepatosplenomegaly. He had a fever 40.4 degrees. We gave him Ibuprofen and 1 paracetamol tablet. The boy told us that he had malaria six months ago in Afghanistan. We suspected that he had malaria again. We asked our next shift (because it was the end of our shift) to take him to the Infectiv Clinic and Emergency Center. They brought the boy there, and he was confirmed to have malaria (Plasmodium vivax) and admitted to the hospital.
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