U Srbiji se i dalje rađaju deca koja ne mogu da budu upisna u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja i koja zbog toga ne mogu biti prepoznata kao subjekti prava. Ova deca u prvim mesecima, a ponekad i godinama života ostaju bez ličnih dokumenata, zbog čega im pristup mnogim pravima ostaje uskraćen ili znatno otežan. Najčešće je reč o deci romske nacionalnosti, a u matične knjige ne mogu da se upišu zato što njihove majke ne poseduju lične dokumente.

U želji da prikažemo sa kojim se svakodnevnim problemima suočavaju ta deca i njihove porodice, Praxis je razgovarao sa roditeljima neke od te dece. Njihovi slučajevi još jednom potvrđuju da je neophodno da se za ovaj problem napokon nađe trajno rešenje.

Sadeta je Romkinja, rođena 1995. godine u Đakovici na Kosovu. Donedavno nije bila upisana u matičnu knjigu rođenih i nije posedovala nijedan lični dokument. Nikada nije išla u školu.

Pre dve godine zasnovala je vanbračnu zajednicu sa Amirom. Danas žive u Beogradu u jednom prigradskom naselju. Ubrzo nakon zasnivanja vanbračne zajednice, Sadeta je zatrudnela, zbog čega je često morala da ide kod lekara. Kako nije posedovala ličnu kartu, nije bila u mogućnosti da obezbedi zdravstvenu knjižicu, pa je morala da plaća preglede i lekove, iako je porodica slabog imovnog stanja. Zbog toga što nije bila upisana u matičnu knjigu rođenih i što nije imala ličnu kartu, nije mogla ni da zaključi brak sa svojim vanbračnim suprugom, nije mogla da se slobodno kreće, niti da ostvari pristup socijalnim pravima.

Kada je prošlog leta došlo vreme za porođaj, Sadeta je primljena u bolnicu, čije osoblje tada nije insistiralo na posedovanju zdravstvene knjižice. Nekoliko dana po prijemu, rodila je zdravog dečaka, kome su dali ime Bajram. Nakon toga, međutim, problemi su počeli da se nižu.

Trećeg dana Sadetinog boravka u porodilištu, matičar opštine Zvezdara je radi upisa dece u matičnu knjigu rođenih posetio Sadetu, kao i druge majke koje su se upravo porodile. Kad je utvrdio da Sadeta nema ličnu kartu, rekao je da njeno dete ne može biti upisano sve dok ona ne pribavi ličnu kartu i da tek nakon toga može da se obrati matičnoj službi radi upisa deteta. Nije bilo važno to što je otac bio prisutan i pokazivao svoju ličnu kartu i što je bio spreman da prizna očinstvo. Kad je Sadeta sa detetom trebalo da napusti porodilište, neposredno pre izlaska iz bolnice, upućena je da se javi na portirnicu. Tamo joj je rečeno da zbog boravka u zdravstvenoj ustanovi bez zdravstvene knjižice treba da plati 23.000 dinara. Pošto ona ni njena porodica toliko novca nisu imali, uručen joj je račun i naloženo joj je da potpiše da je račun primila. Porodica ni kasnije nije imala novca da plati račun, ali, bar za sada, niko ih u vezi sa tim nije više zvao.

Usledile su nove muke. Bez izvoda iz matične knjige rođenih Bajram nije mogao da dobije zdravstveno osiguranje, a svaki odlazak kod lekara roditelji su morali da plate, kao i neophodne labaratorijske analize. Za dete nije bilo moguće dobiti ni roditeljski dodatak, koji inače dobijaju roditelji kao potporu porodicama nakon rođenja deteta. Iako je Sadeta nezaposlena, a njen vanbračni muž radi na određeno vreme i prima minimalnu platu, nisu mogli da dobiju ni dečiji dodatak. Porodica ne prima ni socijalnu pomoć. Sadetu i njenu bebu je po izlasku iz porodilišta patronažna sestra posetila samo dva ili tri puta, iako je predviđeno da se obavi pet poseta. Izgleda da se jedino vakcinacija odvijala onako kako bi trebalo, te je Bajram primilo sve potrebne vakcine do sada.

Sadeta je još pre odlaska u porodilište pred sudom pokrenula postupak za utvrđivanja vremena i mesta rođenja, koji je trebalo da joj omogući upis u matičnu knjigu rođenih. Ali taj postupak je, zajedno sa postupkom prijave prebivališta i izdavanja lične karte, trajao je više od godinu i po dana. Kada je u oktobru 2019. godine Sadeta konačno dobila ličnu kartu, više nije mogla upisati dete u matičnu knjigu rođenih na lakši i jednostavniji način, jer je isteko zakonski rok za redovan upis. Tako je morala da pokrene postupak pred nadležnim Centrom za socijalni rad, kako bi se pred tim organom detetu najpre odredilo lično ime. Taj postupak još uvek traje.

S obzirom da se radi o porodici koja pripada posebno ranjivoj grupi, nije teško zaključiti koliko je ova porodica trpela i koliko još uvek trpi zbog činjenice da dete nije upisano u knjigu rođenih odmah po rođenju.

Iako Ustav, zakoni i međunarodne konvencije nalažu da se svakom detetu, bez izuzetka, mora omogućiti upis u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja, to fundamentalno pravo u Srbiji se uskraćuje mnogoj deci. Uprkos brojnim preporukama međunarodnih tela Srbiji da otkloni prepreke koje sprečavaju upis, kao i dugogodišnjeg ukazivanja nevladinog sektora na ozbiljnost i na razmere ovog problema, nadležni organi su se oglušili na sve dosadašnje apele za izmenu podzakonskih akata koji sprečavaju upis dece čije majke ne poseduju dokumente.

U Srbiji se i dalje rađaju deca koja ne mogu da budu upisna u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja i koja zbog toga ne mogu biti prepoznata kao subjekti prava. Ova deca u prvim mesecima, a ponekad i godinama života ostaju bez ličnih dokumenata, zbog čega im pristup mnogim pravima ostaje uskraćen ili znatno otežan. Najčešće je reč o deci romske nacionalnosti, a u matične knjige ne mogu da se upišu zato što njihove majke ne poseduju lične dokumente.

U želji da prikažemo sa kojim se svakodnevnim problemima suočavaju ta deca i njihove porodice, Praxis je razgovarao sa roditeljima neke od te dece. Njihovi slučajevi još jednom potvrđuju da je neophodno da se za ovaj problem napokon nađe trajno rešenje.

„Nemate dokumente? Ako nemate, ne možemo da vas primimo. Doviđenja“, rečeno je roditeljima jednomesečne bebe Edite u lokalnom domu zdravlja, gde su je odveli kako bi se obavio prvi sistematski pregled. Ista situacija ponovila se i nekoliko nedelja kasnije. Edita sada ima tri i po meseca i nakon izlaska iz porodilišta nije primila nijednu vakcinu. A dokumente nema jer roditelji nisu uspeli da je upišu u matičnu knjigu rođenih.

„Majka mora da ima ličnu kartu, bez toga dete ne može da se upiše. Čekajte da majka dobije dokumente, pa onda dođite da prijavite dete“, poručili su u matičnoj službi roditeljima kada su pokušali da ćerku Editu u upišu u matičnu knjigu rođenih.

Ali Editina majka Behare (23) ne može da dobije ličnu kartu jer ni sama nije upisana u matičnu knjigu rođenih. Behare je poreklom sa Kosova i misli da je kao dete bila upisana u matične knjige, ali su matične knjige za njenu opštinu uništene tokom ratnih sukoba 1999. godine, tako da nakon toga nije mogla da pribavi izvod iz matične knjige rođenih i uverenje o državljanstvu. Da bi ponovo bila upisana u matične knjige moraće da sprovede sudski postupak za utvrđivanja vremena i mesta rođenja.

Iako nije posedovala ni zdravstvenu knjižicu ni ličnu kartu, kada je došlo vreme da se porodi, Behare je bez ikakvih problema primljena u porodilište. Problemi su se ipak ubrzo javili.

Kada su nekoliko dana nakon Editinog rođenja napuštali bolnicu, roditeljima je uručen račun za troškove porođaja. „Mi nemamo toliko da platimo“, bilo je sve što su užasnuti Editini roditelji mogli da kažu kada su videli da na računu piše da moraju da plate 188.000 dinara. Objašnjeno im je da troškove moraju da plate zato što Behare nema ni zdravstvenu knjižicu ni ličnu kartu.

Toliko novca bi predstavljalo preveliki izdatak za najveći broj porodica u Srbiji, uključujući i one u kojima su oba supružnika zaposlena i imaju redovna primanja, a kamoli za Editine roditelje, koji se bez imalo sumnje mogu svrstati među najsiromašnije građane. Oba Editina roditelja su nezaposlena, a porodica se izdržava od prodaje sekundarnih sirovina koje po gradskim ulicama sakuplja Editin otac, kao i od naknade koju dobija za slabo plaćene i retko dostupne fizičke poslove. Žive u neformalnom romskom naselju, u stambenim uslovima koji teško da mogu da budu gori.

Socijalnu pomoć nikada nisu primali, baš kao što ni za novorođenu bebu nisu dobili ni roditeljski ni dečiji dodatak. Nisu ni pokušali da podnesu zahteve, jer im je jasno da bez Editinih dokumenata roditeljski i dečiji dodatak ne mogu da dobiju.

Praxis je bolnici uputio dopis u kome je ukazano da zakon nalaže da se u ovakvim slučajevima sredstva za troškove porođaja obezbeđuju iz državnog budžeta, a ne od pacijenata. Iz porodilišta, bar za sada, više nije traženo od roditelja da plate bolničke troškove.

Porodici će biti neophodna besplatna pravna pomoć kako bi Behare i Edita pribavile lične dokumente. Za Behare je potrebno pokrenuti vanparnični postupak pred sudom, a za Editu postupak određivanja ličnog imena pred centrom za socijalni rad. Dosadašnja praksa matične službe u koju treba da se upiše Edita pokazuje da za njen upis neće biti dovoljno da centar za socijalni rad donese rešenje o određivanju ličnog imena – bez obzira što bi prema važećim propisima to moralo biti dovoljno – već će prethodno i majka morati da se upiše u matičnu knjigu rođenih, prijavi prebivalište i izvadi ličnu kartu. Svi ti postupci koje treba sprovesti za majku i ćerku obično traju oko godinu dana.

Do tada Edita ostaje bez ličnih dokumenata. To znači da će svaki put kad se Edita razboli, njeni roditelji sami morati da plaćaju lekove, pod uslovom da imaju dovoljno novca. To bi moglo da dovede do toga da roditelji ne mogu da vode dete kod lekara kad je bolesno.

Ako se nešto ne promeni u postupanju doma zdravlja, Edita neće primiti ni obavezne vakcine u predviđeno vreme, već sa velikim zakašnjenjem. Isteći će i rok za podnošenje zahteva za dobijanje roditeljskog dodatka, a izlišno je napominjati koliko bi porodici značilo da dobije oko 100.000 dinara, koliko roditeljski dodatak iznosi. Ni dečiji dodatak i novčana socijalna pomoć neće im biti dostupni.

Tako će ova porodica, poput mnogih drugih romskih porodica koje žive u dubokom siromaštvu, da se suoči sa još većom marginalizacijom, a umesto poboljšanja svog očajnog materijalnog položaja, zapašće u još dublje siromaštvo.

I sve to samo zato što se u Srbiji i dalje krši jedno od osnovnih prava deteta, koje je inkorporirano u neke od najvažnijih međunarodnih konvencija, kao i u Ustav i zakone Srbije – da svako dete mora da bude upisano u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja.

Iako Ustav, zakoni i međunarodne konvencije nalažu da se svakom detetu, bez izuzetka, mora omogućiti upis u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja, to fundamentalno pravo u Srbiji se uskraćuje mnogoj deci. Uprkos brojnim preporukama međunarodnih tela Srbiji da otkloni prepreke koje sprečavaju upis, kao i dugogodišnjeg ukazivanja nevladinog sektora na ozbiljnost i na razmere ovog problema, nadležni organi su se oglušili na sve dosadašnje apele za izmenu podzakonskih akata koji sprečavaju upis dece čije majke ne poseduju dokumente.

Every child, without any exception and regardless of the circumstances of the birth, shall be registered immediately upon birth. This right is guaranteed both by the ratified international conventions and the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Serbia¹. When it is said that a child has to be registered immediately upon birth, it implies a defined period of days rather then months².

However, children of undocumented mothers in Serbia are denied this right. Two bylaws regulating the procedure of birth registration stipulate that data on parents shall be registered based on their ID cards and birth certificates. In practice, it means that data on parents and personal names of children cannot be registered to children whose mothers do not possess personal documents ³. In other words, children are then left without being registered in birth registries and it is not possible to obtain birth certificates for them.

In order for those children to be registered, it is necessary to conduct separate procedures, which ideally last for several weeks, but most often several months. It is not uncommon that procedures last for more than a year, and sometimes can take few years ⁴. In all those cases, the right of a child to be registered immediately upon birth has been violated.

But this is not the only right denied to these children. Because they do not have birth certificates, these children cannot obtain health booklets, they cannot register their permanent residence or exercise the right to social protection, and their families are left without parental and child allowance.

This problem almost exclusively affects the members of Roma national minority, given that certain number of Roma women still give birth to children without possessing an ID card. The position of this social group, which is the most vulnerable and most discriminated, is thus even more aggravated. The research conducted by UNHCR in Roma settlements showed that 8% of children under 4 years of age are not registered in birth registries5.

The seriousness of this problem is confirmed by reports and recommendations of a large number of international organizations and contracting bodies which call on Serbia to solve this problem and enable each child to register in birth registries immediately upon birth regardless of whether their parents have personal documents or not. Such recommendations have been given to Serbia by United Nations Human Rights Council, the UN Human Rights Committee, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the European Parliament, the European Commission. Serbia has also committed itself to fulfilling the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which includes the goal of enabling everyone to get registered in birth registries.

In spite of all above stated, the competent authorities refuse to take measures that would enable timely registration of every child. Praxis has repeatedly addressed the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and Ministry of Health, the authorities responsible for issuing bylaws that regulate a birth registration procedure, with an appeal to solve this issue. However, no response has been received from the Ministry of Health, while the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government denied the presence of the problem by stating that existing regulations enable everyone to get registered in birth registries. But, the Ministry neglected the fact that children whose mothers do not possess personal documents cannot be registered immediately upon birth but only upon they conduct procedures lasting rarely less than a few months.

If Serbia wants to become a society free of institutional violation of human rights where the best interest of the child is always the paramount goal and where all citizens have equal opportunities, then it shall face this problem and start solving it devotedly.

1 See Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 24, Paragraph 2 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), Article 64, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and Article 13 of the Family Law

2 UNICEF, Implementation Handbook for the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 2007, p. 100; available at: https://uni.cf/36vQ2NI

3 If the father does not have documents, and the mother does, it is possible to register the birth of a child only without recording the father’s

4 For more details about problems relating to birth registration, see Praxis reports available at: https://bit.ly/2sh70QW

5 See: S. Cvejić, Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia, progress report 2010-2015, UNHCR, 2016; available at: https://www.refworld.org/pdfid/57bd436b4.pdf

Danas se širom sveta obeležava Međunarodni dan ljudskih prava. Na današnji dan pre 71 godinu Generalna skupština Ujedinjenih nacija usvojila je Univerzalnu deklaraciju o ljudskiim pravima. U prvom članu Univerzalne deklaracije istaknuto je načelo da se sva ljudska bića rađaju slobodna i jednaka u dostojanstvu i pravima. Deklaracijom je propisano i da svako ima pravo da svuda bude priznat kao pravni subjekt.

Nažalost, u Srbiji se i dalje rađaju deca koja ne mogu da budu upisna u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja i koja zbog toga ne mogu biti prepoznata kao subjekti prava. Ova deca u prvim mesecima, a ponekad i godinama života ostaju bez ličnih dokumenata, zbog čega im pristup mnogim pravima ostaje uskraćen ili znatno otežan. Najčešće je reč o deci romske nacionalnosti, a u matične knjige ne mogu da se upišu zato što njihove majke ne poseduju lična dokumenta. 

U želji da prikažemo sa kojim se svakodnevnim problemima suočavaju ta deca i njihove porodice, razgovarali smo sa roditeljima neke od te dece. Njihovi slučajevi još jednom potvrđuju da je neophodno da se za ovaj problem napokon nađe trajno rešenje. 

Neravnopravna već od rođenja

Nađija ima 19 godina i nikada nije posedovala nijedan lični dokument. Njena porodica poreklom je sa Kosova, gde je živela do 1999. godine, kada je bila prinuđena da napusti svoj dom. Nedugo potom, u neformalnom romskom naselju u Beogradu u kome su se nastanili njeni roditelji, rođena je Nađija. Njeni roditelji nisu mogli da je upišu u matične knjige odmah nakon rođenja, jer nisu posedovali lične karte. Lične karte nisu mogli da pribave jer su matične evidencije u kojima su bili upisani nakon sukoba na Kosovu ostale nedostupne organima Republike Srbije, tako da roditelji godinama nisu mogli da pribave svoje izvode iz matičnih knjiga i uverenja o državaljanstvu. Samim tim nisu mogli ni da Nađiju upišu u matičnu knjigu rođenih. Trenutno se pred sudom u Beogradu vodi postupak za utvrđivanje Nađijinog vremena i mesta rođenja i tek nakon eventualnog uspešnog okončanja tog postupka Nađija može da očekuje da će dobiti svoje lične isprave.

Kao što roditelji nisu mogli bez ličnih dokumenata da Nađiju upišu u matičnu knjigu rođenih, tako ni ona nije mogla da svoje četvoro dece nakon rođenja upiše u matične knjige. Najmlađe Nađijino  dete, ćerka Samanta, rođeno je početkom ove godine u jednom beogradskom porodilištu. Nađija kaže da nije imala probleme prilikom prijema u porodilište, kao i da niko tada nije uslovljavao prijem u bolnicu posedovanjem zdravstvene knjižice i lične karte.  

Negativne posledice neposedovanja ličnih dokumenata javile su se nakon porođaja, kada je Nađija  trebalo da ovlašćenom licu u bolnici da izjavu o imenu deteta i da pruži druge podatke koji su potrebni za prijavu rođenja. Tada joj je rečeno da zbog toga što ne poseduje lične dokumente prijava rođenja i upis deteta neće moći da se sprovedu, a da će za dete moći da dobije izvod iz matične knjige rođenih tek kada bude pribavila ličnu kartu. 

Tako se Samanta samo nekoliko dana nakon rođenja našla u znatno nepovoljnijem položaju u odnosu na ostalu decu. Jer, dok su druga novorođena deca bez problema upisana u matične knjige pošto njihove majke nisu imale problema sa ličnim dokumentima, Samanta se na samom početku života našla u neravnopravnom položaju i u riziku da joj pristup mnogim pravima bude otežan ili sasvim onemogućen. Kako su Nađija i Samanta Romkinje, njihov primer još jednom je potvrdio činjenicu da Romi predstavljaju jednu od najdiskriminisanijih društvenih grupa u Srbiji, pošto problem neposedovanja dokumenata i nemogućnosti upisa dece u matične knjige gotovo isključivo pogađa pripadnike ove nacionalne manjine.

Nađija se u izvesnom smislu čak može smatrati srećnom, jer prilikom izlaska iz bolnice od nje  nije traženo da plati bolničke troškova, što se često dešava porodiljama koje ne poseduju zdravstvenu knjižicu i ličnu kartu, uprkos tome što je propisano da se u takvim slučajevima troškovi nadoknađuju iz budžeta. Nisu retki čak ni slučajevi da službenici zdravstvenih ustanova prete da decu neće pustiti iz porodilišta dok ne budu plaćeni troškovi. Nađijinu i Samantinu situaciju donekle je olakšala okolnost da je Nađijin otac u međuvremenu uspeo da pribavi svoju ličnu kartu, tako da je prilikom otpusta iz porodilišta makar on mogao da se identifikuje i prihvaćeno je da on potpiše potrebne dokumente.

Nađija objašnjava da se i kasnije lična karta njenog oca pokazala kao koristan dokument, jer je u nekoliko navrata kada ni ona ni ćerka nisu mogle da se identifikuju, sa njima išao i Nađijin otac, pa su zahvaljujući tome Samanti pružene potrebne usluge. Između ostalog, Samanta je u domu zdravlja obavila redovne zdravstvene preglede i primila je sve potrebne vakcine. Nađiju i Samantuje nakon porođaja posetila i patronažna sestra, ali to je učinila samo jednom, iako se inače organizuje pet poseta.

Uopšte, mali je broj prava koja su Nađija i njena ćerka uspele da ostvare. Tačno je da se do sada nije dogodilo da lekari u domu zdravlja odbiju da pregledaju Samantu kada se razboli, ali u slučaju kada je trebalo uraditi analizu krvi, to je učinjeno tek nakon upornih Nađijinih molbi. Prethodno joj je rečeno da ili ona ili ćerka moraju da poseduju zdravstvene knjižice, a da za osobe bez tog dokumenta postoji „poseban put“. 

Osim toga, lekove su roditelji uvek morali sami da plate. A njima iznosi od dve, tri ili čak pet hiljada dinara, koliko su u nekim slučajevima morali da plate, predstavljaju ogroman izdatak. 

Nađija i njena porodica izrazito su siromašni, a izdržavaju se od novca koje uspe da zaradi njen vanbračni muž i otac zajedničke dece. On je nezaposlen, a samo povremeno uspeva da pronađe honorarne poslove, koji najčešće traju tek dan ili dva i slabo su plaćeni. Stoga mu uglavnom preostaje da se bavi još manje isplativim sakupljanjem i prodajom sekundarnih sirovina.

Iako je nesumnjivo da se članovi Nađijine porodice mogu uvrstiti među socijalno najugroženije građane, kojima bi svaka pomoć bila ne samo dobrodošla, nego i preko potrebna, te da ispunjavaju uslove za razne vidove socijalnih davanja – oni ne primaju ni jedno, samo zato što Nađija i njena deca ne poseduju lične dokumente. Tako se samo produbljuje nejednakost i povećava socijalni jaz, jer neke oblike socijalne podrške, poput roditeljskog dodatka, dobijaju i porodice koje nisu finansijski ugrožene, dok oni kojima je pomoć najpotrebnija – kao što su Nađija i njena deca - ostaju bez ičega. I sve dok ne budu uspeli da se upišu u matične knjige i da pribave lične dokumente neće moći da očekuju da će im se položaj iole poboljšati.

Iako Ustav, zakoni  i međunarodne konvencije nalažu da se svakom detetu, bez izuzetka, mora omogućiti upis u matičnu knjigu rođenih odmah nakon rođenja, to fundamentalno pravo u Srbiji se uskraćuje mnogoj deci. Uprkos brojnim preporukama međunarodnih tela Srbiji da otkloni prepreke koje sprečavaju upis, kao i dugogodišnjeg ukazivanja nevladinog sektora na ozbiljnost i na razmere ovog problema, nadležni organi su se oglušili na sve dosadašnje apele za izmenu podzakonskih akata koji  sprečavaju upis dece čije majke ne poseduju dokumente.

Within the project #StatelessJourneys supported by the European Network on Statelessness, we talked to a woman from Eritrea:

"I grew up and lived all my life in Tesseney. I have two sisters and four brothers. We are a big family. I also have two sons. They are 8 and 13 years old. My husband is in jail. So I need to raise our children alone. My parents helped me a lot. But my family is poor, and my parents cannot support us all. I never worked before since I was not able to find a job in our city. The only way for me to find money to provide for my sons and family is to try to reach Europe and find a job. 

In Tesseney I found a man who helped me get a fake passport. It was the first time I had any kind of document. In my family no one ever had one. I never tried to obtain it since I did not need it in my everyday life. I was born at home. I also gave birth to my sons at home. They do not have any documents either. In Eritrea for example, you do not need health insurance, you just need to pay to visit a doctor. The only time when I needed an ID card was when I finished primary school. I did not get a certificate because I had no documents. Now it is like I never went to school.

When I got my fake passport, I flew from Eritrea to Turkey. I stayed with a group of people in Istanbul only one day and then continued to Greece. In Greece I stayed around one month in the smuggler’s house. No one noticed I was there. I reached Serbia via Macedonia. In the Serbian town of Vranje the police caught me with a group I was travelling with. We were taken to the police station. The police officers asked for my name, nationality, date of birth and some other personal data, and also took my fingerprints. They gave us each a document written in Serbian and let us go.

Now I am thinking what my next step will be. I wish to go to Germany. I do not know anyone living in that country. My friends and family have told me that life is good there. Let’s see. It is hard for me to be separated from my children but coming to Europe was the only way I can support them in the future."

Within the project #StatelessJourneys supported by the European Network on Statelessness, we talked to a woman from Somalia:

"I have just arrived in Serbia and my plan is to stay here for a short period in one of the refugee reception centres. After that, I will continue my journey to one of the EU countries where I have relatives.

In Somalia I lived with my parents and three brothers in our family house. I also have two sisters who are married and left home. Life in Somalia is not easy. War is never ending; people are poor and starving. This is the reason why I left my country. I used to sell some things at the market and was very poor. It was impossible for me, being an uneducated woman, to find a better job. I finished primary school, but I never obtained a certificate. The reason for this is that I never had an ID card. I was born at home, like all my brothers and sisters. Even when you get ill, you just need to pay for a doctor. There is no need for you to have a document. I did not travel outside my village. Most people from my village are without documents. I have never tried to obtain one. There was no need for it. 

In Somalia I entered in a boat. The smuggler told me that we were going towards Turkey. I do not know how long I was on that boat. After that we walked through some lands. I did not know where I was. When we finally reached Istanbul, I stayed in a friend’s place. I did not have problems while I was staying there. No one knew that I was in the house. After two months, I continued my journey with a group of other refugees. From Turkey we went to Greece, where we were hiding for four days and then we passed through Macedonia and finally I reached Serbia, where I am now. I did not encounter any problems on my way. The police did not catch us. When we arrived in Belgrade, for the first time I spoke with people from humanitarian organisations who gave me the information I needed for staying here in Belgrade. Before that my source of information was the people with whom I travelled."

Within the project #StatelessJourneys supported by the European Network on Statelessness, we talked to a girl from Somalia:

"I am from Somalia, from a village near Mogadishu. I lived there with my parents. I am their only child. I finished four years of primary school in my village, but I had to leave school after fourth year, since my family decided that it was better for me to stay at home and help my mother with the housework. We are a poor family and my parents could not afford to buy my school books. My parents had the intention to marry me to an older man from our village. I did not like that man and did not want to get married, so I escaped from home.

That is why I decided to go to Europe. I do not have family or friends in Europe. I have just heard stories about Europe from people I was traveling with. I had to get a false passport to be able to travel from Mogadishu to Istanbul. I had never had a personal document before. Once I tried to obtain an ID card in our local municipality, I gave some money, but never got that document. In my village a lot of people are without documents, because you do not really need one. If you want to visit a doctor, you just need to pay for the doctor’s services. You can also attend primary school without a personal document. My family was poor and I never travelled outside of my village.

At the airport in Mogadishu I met with a smuggler who gave me my passport. I was scared that the border control would notice that it was a fake one. Luckily that did not happen and I flew to Istanbul. From Turkey we went through Greece, Albania, Kosovo and now I am in Serbia. In all these countries on my way to Serbia I stayed in the smugglers’ houses, hiding from the police. In total, I travelled around five weeks from Somalia. Now I am staying in a hostel in Belgrade, but in a few days I will continue my journey. I am still not sure where I want to go, but I must make a decision soon." 

Photo by Bosko Djordjevic.

Within the project #StatelessJourneys supported by the European Network on Statelessness, we talked to a Tibetan girl from India:

"I was born in the city of Dharamshala in India where I have lived all my life with my parents and my sister and brother. We are originally from Tibet. My parents fled from Tibet to India when they were young. There is a large Tibetan community in Dharamshala and our government in exile is situated there. We do not have Indian citizenship. We only have an identity certificate that we call a yellow book. We also hold a Tibetan green book that is issued by the Central Tibetan Administration. That document, the green book, is like a passport, but we cannot travel with it and it is not useful outside of our community. We do not have any other documents and we have never tried to obtain Indian citizenship. 

My life in the city was peaceful. Our community is very strong, and I had everything that I needed in Dharamshala. I did not go outside of the city often. My father is a Tibetan language teacher and my mother is a housewife. I finished high school and wanted to find a decent job, but it was not possible. Since I am Tibetan, I am not allowed to work in any government service of India, and it would be difficult for me to find a job outside of Dharamshala.

When I decided to flee from India, my parents supported me. My father bought a false passport for me. It was a Thai passport. From India I flew to Turkey. I was lucky not to get discovered by the border police. I stayed around 15 days in Istanbul, preparing for the next move. I knew that I would need to cross illegally other borders. Sometimes during the journey I travelled by car with other refugees, but most of the journey we walked. From Turkey, together with a group of refugees from different countries, I continued to Greece. We crossed the border unnoticed. I stayed in a smuggler’s house in Greece around one month. After Greece I went through Albania and Kosovo and in a couple of days I ended up in Serbia. But I do not plan to stay long here. I will continue my journey in two or three days. 

Once we entered Serbia, in the small town Prokuplje, the police caught the group I was travelling with. They took us to the police station. The police officers did not speak English well, but we somehow managed to communicate. They took our fingerprints and photographed us. They asked me where I was from. I told them that I was Tibetan. They were confused. One of the police officers opened the Google maps on his phone and I guessed from his gestures that he wanted me to show my place, so I pointed to Purang in Tibet where my parents were born. They were looking at the map for a while. They also asked me about my age. I remembered that my smuggler had told me that it was always better to tell that you were underage if you wanted to get a better treatment. So I lied. The police gave me a document that was written in Serbian and I was not able to read it. Later I was told that I could request accommodation in a refugee reception centre in Serbia. When we left the police station, we continued towards Belgrade.

In Belgrade, while I was sitting in a park where a lot of refugees gathered, I met someone from Praxis. She gave me the information about Serbia, the services I could get and explained the meaning of the police document that I had received after entering Serbia (it was a certificate on the expressed intention to seek asylum). That document contained my personal data and the information that I had Chinese nationality. With this document I can sleep legally in a hostel for two nights, which I am planning to do. 

I do not know exactly which border I will try to cross next. My aim is to reach Germany. I have a lot of friends there. I will get all the relevant information about legal residence in Germany from my friends and on Google. I left India to be able to do more with my life. I love music and I play the drums. I hope that in Germany I will reach my dream and play music."

In October 2019, Praxis continued providing assistance to refugees/migrants, through information, psychosocial support, referrals to the targeted assistance provided by various organisations/institutions or covering the costs of transport to the asylum and reception centres.

A total of 1995 newly arrived refugees/migrants were informed about current situation in Serbia and the region, legal status and available legal options (seeking asylum in Serbia, assisted voluntary return to the country of origin, possibilities of family reunification abroad or resettlement to a third country when possible), accommodation in asylum centres (AC) or transit-reception centres in Serbia, means of transportation to the assigned centres, other rights and available services (medical care, psychosocial support, food, NFIs, various workshops for refugees/ migrants etc).

Download the whole Protection Monitoring Report for October 2019 here.

The Annual Assembly Meeting of the Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia (MODS) was held in Kragujevac on 9 and 10 November 2019.

The Assembly Meeting was chaired by Iva Eraković, Executive Director of the organisation Friends of Children of Serbia. In the working session, the Assembly first considered the MODS Activity Report for 2018, presented by Director Saša Stefanović, and then Jasmina Miković from Praxis, President of the MODS Steering Committee, presented the Steering Committee Report and reported on the participation of MODS in governmental bodies, first of all in the Children’s Rights Council and the working groups established by the competent ministries: the Working Group on Early Development and the Working Group on the Development of Child Rights Strategy. The Supervisory Board Report 2018 and 2019 and the 2020 Financial Plan were presented by Radomir Jevtić, President of Supervisory Board. After a brief discussion, the Assembly members unanimously adopted these reports.

The MODS Assembly then unanimously re-elected Iva Eraković as a member of the Steering Committee.

In the continuation of its work, the Assembly also unanimously adopted a proposal for MODS to join the regional network in the Danube region - Danube Civil Society Forum, and the global network for ending sexual exploitation ECPAT.

Iva Eraković then presented the initiative of the Protector of Citizens to sign the Cooperation Agreement with MODS, which was unanimously adopted by the Assembly.

On the afternoon of the first working day, Bojana Selaković, Programme Director of Civic Initiatives, presented support for civil society development provided by Civic Initiatives within their Resource Centre. After the introductory part, the members had the opportunity to share their experiences from the local level, as well as the challenges and problems they most often faced.

A novelty at this year's Assembly Meeting was the Market of Ideas - a session in which the members had the opportunity to exchange ideas on the projects and programmes they were implementing, as well as to propose topics and activities for MODS in the coming year.

The second working day was reserved for the presentation of new organisations for admission to MODS membership. The organisation Na pola puta (Halfway) from Pančevo and the Association for Cerebral and Child Palsy, Kosjerić, were unanimously admitted to MODS membership, currently consisting of 103 members.

The last part of the session was used for proposals for improving MODS work and discussing future MODS activities and advocacy plans.