The Refugee Legal Clinic Project was initiated by UNHCR at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, in June 2006. The Legal Clinic started its cooperation with Praxis in February 2007. At the beginning the cooperation was informal, but it became part of the Project as of January 1, 2008.

The Clinic started working in October 2006. Theoretical part of the project is conducted at the Law Faculty and the students have the opportunity to learn thoroughly about the fundamental international refugee protection, role of the state in that system, as well as about the mandate of UNHCR. An integral part of the theoretical training is to inform the students about the basic principles of work with refugees and asylum seekers, as well as with the procedure of determining refugee status.

Practical part of the training, concerning legal protection of refugees and internally displaced persons in Serbia, is conducted by Praxis, and includes both office and field work. Field work involves visits to the displaced in the collective centers, Roma settlements and private accommodation. Through practical work, students are enabled to better understand the theoretical part of the training by getting acquainted with the legal problems of the displaced, as well as administrative and systemic obstacles in access to basic human rights.

Praxis and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) signed the agreement on implementation of the projects “Legal Protection of Refugees, Displaced Persons and Asylum Seekers in Montenegro” and “Addressing Legal Concerns and Risk of Statelessness of Persons of Concern to UNHCR in Montenegro”, from January - December 2008. The aim of the projects is to increase legal and social inclusion of the displaced residing in Montenegro, especially Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities, so that they could fully enjoy their basic human rights, to reduce the number of legally invisible persons and increase awareness of the RAE communities and local authorities for the need and importance of civil registration.

In the implementation of this project Praxis will closely cooperate with CRS’ operational partner Legal Center, Podgorica and assist them in obtaining documents and procedures of subsequent registration/re-registration into registry books for the displaced currently residing in Montenegro.

Praxis and UNHCR, signed the agreement on implementation of the project “Provision of Legal Assistance to Internally Displaced Persons from Kosovo” funded by the US Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (BPRM), in the period from January to December 2008. The aim of the project is provision of documents and hereto related legal assistance, information, counseling to internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo, and seeking systemic solutions to the obstacles in access to documents. The activities aim at improving IDPs’ living conditions in displacement and assisting them to determine their preferred durable solution. 

In addition, Praxis will perform legal team visits throughout Serbia in order to reach out to the most vulnerable IDPs, providing them with legal assistance, information and counseling.

Praxis and UNHCR signed the agreement on the implementation of the project “Legal Assistance to Refugees and IDPs and SGBV activities in Serbia”, which will be implemented in the period from January to December 2008. This project will focus on the provision of legal assistance, information and counselling to refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Kosovo in regards to various legal issues, enabling them to make an informed choice in regards to their durable solution, i.e. integration or return.

Praxis will perform legal team field visits throughout Serbia in order to reach out to the most vulnerable refugees and IDPs, accommodated in private accommodation and collective centres. Within this project, Praxis will also provide legal assistance, including in-court representation, information and counselling to refugees and IDPs, identified as SGBV victims, as well as training and awareness-raising on SGBV issues.

On the 6th May 2008, a Press Conference was held in Media Centre Belgrade, regarding the beginning of the implementation of projects  “Social Inclusion and Access to Human Rights for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Communities in the Western Balkans” and “Combating Social Exclusion: Universal Birth  Registration in Serbia”, that will be funded by the EU through UNICEF and UNHCR. Praxis will be UNICEF’s and UNHCR’s main legal implementation partner in this project. At the Conference, the Projects were presented by: Lennart Kotsalainen, UNHCR Representative in Serbia, Maria Luisa Fornara, UNICEF Deputy Representative for Serbia, Ivanka Kostic, Executive Director of Praxis, Bojan Andjelkovic, Assistant Minister for Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia and Ljuan Koka, Head of the Secretariat for Roma National Strategy of the Republic of Serbia.

The projects aim at contributing to the increased social inclusion of the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities and other marginalized groups and facilitating their full enjoyment of citizen’s rights. Special attention will be given to the most vulnerable among the Roma, especially women, children and elderly.

Official data states that there are 108,000 Roma living in Serbia, although some estimates suggest that the number is as high as 500,000 Roma. At the same time, 22,965 RAE are officially registered as IDPs from Kosovo, although this number is claimed to be higher since at least as much RAE from Kosovo were not able to register due to lack of personal documents.

As part of the activities within the project, UNHCR, UNICEF and Praxis will start an outreach and information campaign with the aim to raise awareness, educate and inform RAE population, as well as to sensitize the local and central authorities and domestic population on the need and importance of civil registration and possession of personal documents. This campaign will include field visits of the teams consisting of representatives of UNICEF, UNHCR, Praxis, Roma Secretariat and Ministry for Labour and Social Policy, to 20 municipalities in Serbia who will meet the Roma community based organizations, Roma coordinators, representatives of municipal authorities and local institutions.

In addition, Praxis will provide legal assistance, information and counselling to the RAE in the field, in relation to obtaining documents and initiating procedures of subsequent registration and re-registration into registry books, which has been identified as a problem particularly affecting the RAE population.

By organizing outreach and information campaigns and lobbying, as well as providing free legal assistance, information and counselling in individual cases, these projects aim to enable the RAE population to become recognized before the law and access documents,  and thus reduce the number of legally invisible persons in Serbia, and recommend solutions for removal of administrative and systemic obstacles which impede the RAE population to enjoy their basic human rights.

See also the news from Media Center web site here.
See also the news UNHCR launches free legal aid project for Roma in Serbia
See also the news published in the newspaper Vecernje novosti "Invisible to the state and law" and "Children invisible too" (Serbian only).

On the occasion of marking the World Refugee Day (20 June), on 19 June 2008 UNHCR organized a round table in Media Centre, Belgrade, with the aim to once again draw public attention to the problems of refugees, internally displaced persons, stateless persons and asylum seekers. UNHCR representative John Andrew Young emphasised that the solution for Kosovo must include finding the durable solution for the problems of approximately 206,000 persons displaced from Kosovo, who are the hostages of the current political situation. He also said that the international community had particular responsibility for displaced persons’ accessing their rights and property repossession. It was also pointed out once more that the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian minority (RAE) are the most vulnerable group among those displaced from Kosovo, since they have not exercised their right to citizenship and other documents. Praxis Executive Director Ivanka Kostic said that it was inconceivable that in the 21st century there were still persons who could not exercise their rights and be recognized as persons before the law, such as the case with the Roma displaced from Kosovo. Ms Kostic also pointed that neither the new Draft Law on Registry Books, which should be proposed to the Parliament of the Republic of Serbia, offered systemic solution for the problems of legally invisible persons. She also pointed to the problems of the displaced in accessing property rights in Kosovo, emphasising that there was a significant number of violations of property rights.

You can download the news from B92 web site here (Serbian only).

Ministry of Labour and Social Policy of the Republic of Serbia launched an open call for scholarship grants for full-time students enrolled in the first, second, third and fourth year of secondary school in the 2008/2009 school year.

Full-time students enrolled in the first, second, third and fourth year of secondary schools, located on the territory of the Republic of Serbia, in the 2008/2009 school year, who have not gained scholarship, students’ credit on any similar form of benefit on other grounds, i.e. from other financial sources, are eligible for the scholarship grants. Students must also fulfil certain conditions stated in the open call related to their financial status; they also have to belong to one of the vulnerable groups of society, while the selection of students will also depend on their school grades. Monthly scholarship per student in the 2008/2009 school year amounts to 3,840.00 RSD.

Interested candidates can apply for scholarship in the secondary school they are enrolled in, and exclusively by filling a prescribed application form, with all the necessary documentation enclosed. Prescribed application form can be obtained in the secondary school.

Deadline for submitting applications is 15th September 2008.

Download (Serbian only): Text of the Open Call

Download (Serbian only): Rules for Scholarship Grants 

Download (Serbian only): Form and the List of Necessary Documentation

The second generation of law students, attending the Refugee Legal Clinic at the Faculty of Law, University of Belgrade, have successfully completed the practice in Praxis, which is an integral part of this project UNHCR initiated at the Faculty of Law three years ago.

Upon successfully completed practice, on 27th June 2008 the students were awarded the certificates by Praxis.

In addition to the theoretical part of the Clinic, where students learnt about basic principles of the protection of refugees and asylum seekers, during the practical work they had the opportunity to get personally acquainted with the displaced, both in the office and in the field, as well as with their legal problems related mainly to property and status issues, but also domestic violence among the displaced in which they showed great interest.

Praxis’ mobile team field visits to the collective centres and Roma settlements have been estimated as particularly striking and useful by the students, where they got familiar with the living conditions, needs and everyday hardship of the displaced, thus becoming sensitised about the problems they face and the need for protection they largely depend on. On the other hand, the students regarded office work as very important as well and were impressed by dedication of Praxis’ staff to the task and the drive to pass on their knowledge and experience in solving the legal problems of the displaced in practice.

Praxis will continue the cooperation with the UNHCR and the Law Faculty at the University of Belgrade through the Refugee Legal Clinic Project, with the aim to contribute to developing an important part of the future system of free legal aid for refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia.

Praxis was invited to attend and take active part in the UNHCR Annual NGO Consultations, held in Geneva, Switzerland, between 25th and 27th June 2008. Praxis attended the Consultations and participated as a speaker in the Thematic Session entitled “Improving Protection and Assistance to IDPs in Host Communities and Urban Areas.”

The aim of the session was to give an answer to the question whether IDPs and affected populations located in camps get better protection and assistance than those with host communities or in urban settings and to better evaluate the challenges involved in accessing and supporting these displaced persons in need of protection and assistance. The panel discussion was based on the fact that non-camp like settings often make it challenging for humanitarian organizations and the government to identify IDPs, determine their specific needs and deliver timely protection and assistance. As a result, these IDPs may have limited or no access to protection and assistance services, and may also not benefit from durable solution interventions. 

The panel speakers were expected to shed light on the difficulties in identifying and responding to the needs of IDPs in host families and urban areas, and share best practices of their organizations by describing tools and examples in providing effective protection and assistance to these communities.

As one of the speakers, Praxis’ Executive Director Ivanka Kostic gave a presentation to the members of the panel discussion on providing protection and assistance to IDPs in non-camp like settings, by explaining how IDPs are accessed and detected and in what way timely and effective assistance is provided. Ms Kostic gave an overview of Praxis methodology and experience in the matter, related to dissemination of information, outreach through field visits, cooperation with relevant stakeholder, as well as the quality and relevance of assistance provided and the challenges and operational difficulties.  

Read more on the Annual Consultation with NGOs at UNHCR official web site.

Download: Agenda at a Glance

Republic Institute of Public Health (RZZO) issued an Instruction on exercising health care for children and youth – homeless persons from shelter, with the aim to ease their access to health care. The Instruction refers to providing emergency medical assistance to these persons, as well as exercising the right to health care other than emergency medical assistance in health institutions, on the grounds of health card provided by the social welfare centres.

The Instruction prescribes obligation of social welfare centres to deliver to a shelter, upon their request, a health insurance ID (health card) for these persons. In case these persons do not possess a health card, the competent social welfare centre is due to initiate a procedure for issuing a health card before the competent branch of the RZZO. In case these persons do not have a permanent residence, the address of the social welfare centre will be registered.

According to this Instruction, RZZO is due to issue health cards for children and youth – homeless persons from shelter at its own expense, on the grounds of an application for health insurance from a social welfare centre. Taking into consideration that these children and youth are usually found wandering and begging, the competent branch of RZZO is due to urgently issue a health card, even without a birth certificate and citizen’s unique personal number.

Download (Serbian only): Instruction