Praxis
Children Do Not Choose Poverty, Violence, Abuse, Discrimination
No child chooses to be born as legally invisible, go into exile, become a victim of exploitation and live without being able to exercise his/her rights. Children do not choose poverty, violence, abuse, discrimination.
On the International Day for Protection of Children, we remind that in Serbia...
... children without a name and an address are still being born,
... children with disabilities and developmental delays, especially Roma children, are facing discriminatory behavior and segregation in the education system!
That...
... child, early and forced marriages are the reality for many Roma children, the reality that deprives them of the normal development and the possibility of growing up in an environment where there is a choice.
… children on the move during migration are exposed to multiple risks.
Children do not choose the environment in which they will be born and protection of their rights is the exclusive responsibility of us - the adults, who by our daily choices create possibilities and opportunities that the environment offers to them.
On the International Day for Protection of Children, we point out that the improvement of the circumstances in which children live and grow, especially children belonging to vulnerable groups, requires a daily commitment, and therefore we call upon the authorities to respect national and international laws and treaties and ensure that every child equally enjoys the rights he/she is entitled to by birth.
For more information, see: Children Do Not Choose Poverty, Violence, Abuse, Discrimination
Conclusions of the Community Meetings on Prevention and Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriages
In May 2016, Praxis held municipal meetings in Leksovac and Pozarevac, aimed at prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages. The meetings were organized as part of the activities on the project “Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia”, funded by UNHCR.
The goal of the meetings was to gather all the relevant actors in this topic at the local level, so that together we can try to identify possible solutions to the problem of child, early and forced marriages. A total of 78 representatives of social welfare centre, police, prosecution, judiciary, educational and health institutions, as well as Roma health mediators, teaching assistants and activists, took part in the meetings. The meetings were organized in a way to provide an overview of the problem of child, early and forced marriages in Serbia, the region and the world, with special reference to local and international regulations governing the rights of the child, marriage and family relations, as well as the roles and responsibilities of the authorities to prevent the neglect of children and violence against children, on the one hand, as well as through an interactive approach to the subject, and examples of good practice, to come up with the policy proposal that would lead to the prevention and elimination of children, early and forced marriages.
Interactive discussion imposed the conclusion on the necessity of intersectoral cooperation, which formally could be realized by concluding agreements on cooperation at local level among all the actors needed to effectively provide protection to children from abuse and neglect. Preventive work with parents in the form of educational and councelling sessions, as the key decision makers, a greater visibility of the problem of child, early and forced marriages, among the Roma population as well as among the general public and decision makers, are just some of the recommendations that arose as a result of municipal meetings.
For more information, see: Praxis Held Community Meetings on Prevention and Elimination of Child, Early and Forced Marriages
End Childhood Statelessness in Europe
The majority of Europe’s stateless kids were born in Europe; many of them would not remain stateless today if all European countries had in place legal safeguards against childhood statelessness as required by international law. The shocking reality is that more than half the countries in Europe are failing to meet these obligations, thereby denying a nationality to thousands of children across the continent.
We urge all European states to:
- Accede to the UN 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness;
- Address gaps in their laws and practice in order to implement comprehensive safeguards to identify and grant nationality to children born on their territory who would otherwise be stateless, as soon as possible after birth;
- Ensure access to free and universal birth registration in order to prevent statelessness.
No child should be left without nationality. It is a problem that is entirely solvable. UN conventions provide a clear legal framework to define and tackle the issue. By establishing safeguards in nationality laws to ensure that any child born on the territory of a country will be entitled to nationality if they would otherwise be left stateless, we could end childhood statelessness within a generation!
For more information, see: Help Us End Childhood Statelessness in Europe
Kurir Daily Did Not Discriminated Against Refugees And Migrants
Acting upon Praxis complaint, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality established that the article “An Increasing Number of Refugees: Migrants will Soon Islamise Serbia”, published by Kurir Daily in the e-issue as of 2 August 2015, does not contain any violation of rights in accordance with the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.
Praxis pointed that disputable text contributes to spreading of fear, creating of hostile environment and deepening of social distance of the citizens towards refugees and migrants, who are currently one of the most vulnerable groups in Serbia. Groundless emphasizing that refugees will soon Islamise Serbia and highlighting that “special risk is the fact that those with combat experience were found among the refugees entering Serbia“ creates atmosphere of fear, incites discrimination and intolerance, which is contrary to national and international regulations.
The Commissioner for Protection of Equality is of the opinion that the text contains mainly the opinions and attitudes of analysts and “given than media have the right to report on different phenomena, give and transmit different information and attitudes, it would be unacceptable to hold the author/editor-in-chief accountable for transmitting the opinions of other people on phenomena in society that are the subject of public discussion”.
Despite the opinion of the Commissioner, Praxis believes that that responsibility of media cannot be excluded or diminished by the fact that opinions of other persons are “just” transmitted in the text. We agree that democratic society needs freedom of expression, but not at the cost of xenophobic, disturbing and discriminatory allegations, opinions and attitudes.
For more information, see: The Commissioner For Protection of Equality Established That Kurir Daily Did Not Discriminated Against Refugees And Migrants
Vecernje novosti Daily Did Not Discriminated Against Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants
Acting upon Praxis complaint, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality established that the article “Asylum Seekers Even Pluck Their Eyebrows for Europe”, published by Vecernje novosti Daily on 6 August 2015, does not contain any violation of rights in accordance with the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination.
Relying on national and international legislation, Praxis pointed that disputable text contributes to spreading of fear, creating of hostile environment and deepening of social distance of the citizens towards asylum seekers, refugees and migrants, who are currently one of the most vulnerable groups in Serbia. Creating a prejudice that all migrants have huge amounts of money does not contribute to understanding their difficult situation, nor the attitude of the journalist that refugees “destroy all the beauty of this part of the city”, and that “the sight that will welcome the visitors of Belgrade when they step out of the bus or train is not pleasant” because of the presence of refuges in the immediate vicinity of the bus and railway station.
The Commissioner for Protection of Equality is of the opinion that the text largely consists of quoted statements of entrepreneurs and employees who provide services. Despite the opinion of the Commissioner that there is no violation of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination in the disputable text, Praxis believes that that responsibility of media cannot be excluded or diminished by the fact that opinions of third persons are “just” transmitted in the text. The lack of conviction of writing by Vecernje novosti Daily is yet another missed opportunity to clearly indicate the responsibility of media in reporting.
For more information, see: The Commissioner For Protection of Equality Established That Vecernje novosti Daily Did Not Discriminated Against Asylum Seekers, Refugees and Migrants
President of the Municipality of Kanjiza Discriminated Against Migrants and Refugees
Acting upon Praxis’ complaint, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality established that the President of the Municipality of Kanjiza expressed a series of discriminatory views at the press conference held on 12 August 2015, which insulted the dignity of refugees and migrants. A day later, the statement was published on the website of the Municipality of Kanjiza under the name Standpoint of the Local Self-Government towards Migrants.
President of the Municipality of Kanjiza stated, among others, that “these foreigners do not possess the basic elements of common intelligence and culture…”, appealing to citizens to be ready when they are called to express their dissatisfaction. Praxis filed a complaint to the Commissioner for Protection of Equality, stating that this statement causes humiliating and insulting environment for refugees and contributes to spreading of prejudice, bigotry and intolerance. Praxis also noted that this statement has special significance since it is given by the public authority.
The Commissioner for Protection of Equality recommended to the President of the Municipality of Kanjiza to issue a public apology, not to give or publish statements which insult dignity and support prejudices against refugees and to contribute by his acting to reduction of xenophobia, racism and discrimination and increase of tolerance towards refugees. Acting upon the recommendation of the Commissioner, the President of the Municipality of Kanjiza published the apology on the website of the Municipality of Kanjiza, which reflects the efficiency of this anti-discrimination protection mechanism.
The Commissioner’s opinion is important because it reminds the public authorities that they need to be aware of the responsibility for publicly spoken word, as well as of the obligation not to incite bigotry and intolerance in society.
Emergency Protection, Shelter and Assistance for Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Serbia
In December 2015, in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council, Praxis began implementing the Project “Emergency Protection, Shelter and Assistance for Refugees & Asylum Seekers in Serbia” funded by ECHO, as a response to the refugee crisis in Serbia. The project aims to provide emergency humanitarian aid and protection to vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers transiting through or seeking asylum in Serbia.
NRC and Praxis provide protection through provision of timely, accurate and reliable information to refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia relating to their legal status, registration procedure, the right to seek asylum, other rights and available services, as well as referrals to other organizations for targeted assistance. NRC and Praxis also provide protection through presence in order to better assist and respond to refugees’ needs and mitigate the risk of trafficking and smuggling. The activities within the Project also include the provision of emergency humanitarian aid through shelter assistance and distribution of food and non-food items (NFIs) to refugees transiting through, or seeking asylum in Serbia. The Project mainly focuses on the field locations along the Eastern border, primarily Dimitrovgrad, but with a possibility to include other locations depending on the needs and situation in the field.
Within the Project, NRC and Praxis also cooperate closely with all the actors in the field, including Serbian authorities and local and international organizations for the purpose of better coordination of activities and improvement of protection of refugees and asylum seekers in Serbia.
On the Eve of the World Refugee Day
Around 150 refugees arrive daily to Belgrade. Some of them continue their journey within a few hours, others decide to stay in Serbia for several days. Most come from Macedonia, a lot of them have already spent several months in Idomeni, Greece. Some still come through Bulgaria.
They usually arrive in Belgrade with smugglers, sometimes by bus or taxi, and often on foot, walking for hours through Macedonia/Bulgaria and Serbia.
Upon arrival in Belgrade, in the Asylum Centre Krnjača, they can get accommodation, food and medical help. If they express the intention to seek asylum, they can stay in Krnjača during the asylum procedure.
Among the groups coming to Belgrade, there are families with small children, single mothers with infants, the elderly and sick. Those who are particularly exposed to various risks are unaccompanied minors who often come in groups formed on route.
Their stories, life experiences and the difficulties they face are different. However, they all have one thing in common – they have all left their homes in search of a new, safe place to live.
On the eve of June 20th, the World Refugee Day, in the coming days we want to share with you who are the people we meet, what they did, what they were thinking about and who they were "before", but also to share where they go, what they hope for and what is the desired “after” for them. How similar we are and how different; how much and what we have learned about each other and from each other.
For more information, see: On the Eve of the World Refugee Day
Whom We Met
Student from Syria who applied for her last exam, and the next day found out that her faculty no longer existed.
A man from Somalia, who left his village for the first time after 60 years, and last winter, in Bulgaria, for the first time he saw snow.
Young Afghan banker, who does not want to get married, "even though it’s about time", and dreams of becoming a successful businessman.
Fourteen-year-old girl from Syria who will always remember Macedonia for having heard of a wild pig for the first time.
IT engineer from Afghanistan, who no longer plans to work as an engineer in Germany, but wants to join a humanitarian organization and help people in need.
Ten-year-old boy, who was sent by his parents on the journey with an older cousin, to arrive somewhere where "he may succeed", and when he does, he’ll bring his younger sister around, to whom he promised that he would always take care of.
...
Who do we meet?
We meet people, people like us.
People who, one day, returning from work, school, or walk, found ruins instead of their homes. And who have been making decision ever since, decisions which are life-saving or life-ending.
We met Mohammed, who has several nicknames, but his name is not Refugee.
Abdul, Zaida, Dawud, Zubauda, now all called Refugees.
We met people. In every and in no way different. People who, just like us, wonder what is right and wrong, how to educate their children, how to help a friend in need; people who are fighting for the future of their families and children. And who, at this moment, need our support.
For more information, see: Whom We Met
What and how much we have learned about each other and from each other
"Shukran" is Arabic for "thank you".
"How are you" is "kejfa haluk".
Good is "Bihair".
"La bihair" is when it is not so good.
And everything will be only "Insallah" - "if God wills".
"Taman" is Serbian "taman", “just right”, and everything is clear.
Tea is "šaj" and it’s consumed on a daily basis and with lots of sugar. Almost as if you drank sugar with some tea. If there is no sugar, there is no point in tea.
Appropriate size of trousers in Afghanistan is not measured by using “the elbow method”, but by the “the neck method". You stretch trousers around the waist, holding with fingers the two farthest ends. Then with the part which normally goes around the waist, try to circle your neck. If the ends are touching, the size is appropriate. A good choice is confirmed by the head nodding to the left and to the right, meaning approval.
Decisions are made within a group, with the approval of all present. The problems are being solved in the same manner. People who fell close or relatives often hold hands.
The most popular Pakistani musician was Nustrat-Fateh Ali Khan. Ali Khan was able to sing for hours without stopping, and with the first beats of his music people from Pakistan gather instantly. And so the conversation turns into a group dance.
And the dance turns into a laughter; into conversations about the meaning of different names and words, and the best culinary recipes. Several bagels, biscuits and sardines turn into a festive lunch, and one Belgrade park turns into a place, where at least for a moment, despite all the hardships that brought us together, all becomes tamam and all is bihair. For those moments we are grateful to each other.
To those moments - shukran!
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