Serbia: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support
Developing Partnerships to Address the Needs of Refugees: September 2016
December 19, 2016
N’Deane Helajzen
Summary of Activities
With continued irregular arrivals and limited departures, the estimated number of refugees/ migrants/asylum seekers in Serbia rose to 5,700. UNHCR reports that the number of arrivals remains at around 200 refugees/migrants per day. Of those entering Serbia, around 54% came from Bulgaria, 33% from FYR Macedonia, 10% from Albania, 0.4% from Montenegro, and 2.6% from unknown locations. Hungarian authorities continued to admit around 20 asylum seekers through the transit zones in Horgoš and Kelebija on the northern border.
By the end of September, the number of people present daily in Belgrade parks rose to 1,000, while the number of those sleeping out in the open rose to over 500 persons on average. Even though undocumented persons could still be accommodated in Krnjača Asylum Centre (AC), by the end of September it became difficult to accommodate all those in need of shelter, even families with children, since Krnjača AC was also full.
RMF Serbia’s Achievements and Impact in the Belgrade City Center
A high number of refugees in the Belgrade City Center are considered extremely vulnerable individuals, many with pressing medical needs that go beyond performing basic triage in the field. Once RMF’s outreach team identifies a patient, an examination and assessment is made of the individual’s health condition and referral options. We then treat the patient in situ to stabilize their condition, before seeking referral papers and transferring the patient to secondary and/or tertiary care if needed. RMF’s outreach team then stays with the patient for the duration of his or her consultation and therapy to provide support with cross-cultural interpretation and translation, comfort, and reassurance. We then transport the patient back to his or her chosen location. Such consultations can take up to 8 hours due to patient wait times within the state facilities.
Full Report
Results &
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Cooperation in Belgrade
Joint Efforts
RMF participated in the ad hoc coordination meeting of humanitarian partners operating in Belgrade, chaired by UNHCR on September 9th.
Current Situation
Staying Up to Date
RMF participated in the monthly partners’ briefing on September 6th in Belgrade. This is where UNHCR/UNRC, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the MOL/Chair of Government WG on Mixed Migration update the diplomatic corps, donors, and NGOs on the refugee/migrant situation and the response of UN agencies and their partners in the previous reporting period.
Coordinating Services
Working Side by Side
RMF participated in the Refugee Protection Working Group (PRWG), co-chaired by UNHCR and the MOL on September 27th at Hotel Zira in Belgrade. This meeting is the key coordination mechanism for agencies and NGOs operational in the country, as well as a source of information for donors or diplomatic missions who attend as observers.
Creating Standards
Focused on Child Safty
RMF participated in the Child Protection Sub-Working Group on September 23rd, which focused on the importance of creating minimum standards for child-friendly spaces in Serbia. A drafting committee was established, including representatives from the Ministry of Labor (MOL), tasked with presenting a first draft to the group in the first week of October.
Gender-Based Violence
Final Draft of Procedures
RMF participated in the third meeting of the GBV SOP Working Group to review the final draft of the Standard Operating Procedures for Gender-Based Violence in Crisis Situations, hosted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran, and Social Affairs at Hotel Zira on September 29th.
Helping Partners Provide Care
Services and Referrals
RMF provided monitoring and follow-up services for our patients and received referrals from UNHCR/DRC doctors, Palilula Health Centre doctors working within Camp Krnjača, Doctors of the World (MSM), Save the Children, Praxis organization, ADRA Serbia, and the Asylum Information Centre (AIC).
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
More
Photos
Click to enlarge
Numbers
Served
1,112 patients treated
an average of 37 patients per day.
More Reports on: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support Archive
Country Page: Serbia
Initiative Page: Refugee and Asylum Seeker Support
