Praxis
MODS Hosted Eurochild National Partners Networks
The meeting of the Eurochild National Partners Networks took place on 11 October in Belgrade. The Network of Organisations for Children of Serbiahosted representatives of organisations from 21 European countries, and the meeting was facilitated by Jasmina Miković from Praxis, MODS Management Board President and MODS representative in Eurochild.
The participants considered actual EU policies, focusing on social rights and more efficient investing in children. In addition to presenting the current situation and further challenges in the EU, MODS members Atina, Center for Youth Integration (CYI), Evo ruka, Pomoć deci presented their activities as good practice examples in the field of child rights protection.
The next day, an international conference entitled Investing in Children – Benefit for All Children with guests from 21 European networks, was organised by the Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia (MODS), Eurochild, the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia (SIPRU) and UNICEF in the Members of Parliament Club in Belgrade.
At the opening of the conference, the importance of aligning public financial resources with the policies and legislation affecting children was highlighted. During the conference, the participants presented international experiences and the examples of public budget allocations with a view of reducing poverty and social exclusion of children. The conference emphasised Serbia’s commitment to fighting against child poverty and meeting the goals of the United Nations development agenda.
On that occasion, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Minister without Portfolio responsible for demography and population policy and President of the Children’s Rights Council, highlighted the role of the Children’s Rights Council as a mechanism for coordination that would allow for cooperation in the process of monitoring and improvement of policies concerning children.
UNICEF Deputy Director Severine Leonardi pointed out that the Government of the Republic of Serbia was clearly committed to the well-being of children and invested in various types of financial benefits and services that had an impact on children, either directly or indirectly. However, the structure of the budget still did not fully reflect these investments and did not provide a full and detailed insight. Therefore, UNICEF calls for the government to define the methodology for the better monitoring of child-related investments and create the basis for budgeting that is tailor-made for children.
The participants had the opportunity to hear the recorded address of the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Marianne Thyssen who sent a message that childcare practically paid for itself: “In under 10 years our societies get a full return on their investment.”
The conference concluded that it was necessary to intensify the work on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, prioritising the fight against child poverty, improve the monitoring and evaluation of the financial allocations for children and families in Serbia, and that sets of community services with a larger coverage should be developed to support families, especially those at risk of separation, and to provide financial support to families and children living in poverty.
See more about the conference at the MODS website.
MODS Hosted Eurochild National Partners Networks
The meeting of the Eurochild National Partners Networks took place on 11 October in Belgrade. The Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia hosted representatives of organisations from 21 European countries, and the meeting was facilitated by Jasmina Miković from Praxis, MODS Management Board President and MODS representative in Eurochild.
The participants considered actual EU policies, focusing on social rights and more efficient investing in children. In addition to presenting the current situation and further challenges in the EU, MODS members Atina, Center for Youth Integration (CYI), Evo ruka, Pomoć deci presented their activities as good practice examples in the field of child rights protection.
The next day, an international conference entitled Investing in Children – Benefit for All Children with guests from 21 European networks, was organised by the Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia (MODS), Eurochild, the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government of the Republic of Serbia (SIPRU) and UNICEF in the Members of Parliament Club in Belgrade.
At the opening of the conference, the importance of aligning public financial resources with the policies and legislation affecting children was highlighted. During the conference, the participants presented international experiences and the examples of public budget allocations with a view of reducing poverty and social exclusion of children. The conference emphasised Serbia’s commitment to fighting against child poverty and meeting the goals of the United Nations development agenda.
On that occasion, Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Minister without Portfolio responsible for demography and population policy and President of the Children’s Rights Council, highlighted the role of the Children’s Rights Council as a mechanism for coordination that would allow for cooperation in the process of monitoring and improvement of policies concerning children.
UNICEF Deputy Director Severine Leonardi pointed out that the Government of the Republic of Serbia was clearly committed to the well-being of children and invested in various types of financial benefits and services that had an impact on children, either directly or indirectly. However, the structure of the budget still did not fully reflect these investments and did not provide a full and detailed insight. Therefore, UNICEF calls for the government to define the methodology for the better monitoring of child-related investments and create the basis for budgeting that is tailor-made for children.
The participants had the opportunity to hear the recorded address of the European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion Marianne Thyssen who sent a message that childcare practically paid for itself: “In under 10 years our societies get a full return on their investment.”
The conference concluded that it was necessary to intensify the work on the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, prioritising the fight against child poverty, improve the monitoring and evaluation of the financial allocations for children and families in Serbia, and that sets of community services with a larger coverage should be developed to support families, especially those at risk of separation, and to provide financial support to families and children living in poverty.
See more about the conference at the MODS website.
Determining the Date and Place of Birth, Right to Citizenship and Permanent Residence Registration - Analysis of Remaining Obstacles
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Participation of Children in the Meeting of Children’s Rights Council
On 1st March, the Children’s Rights Council of the Government of the Republic of Serbia held its third regular meeting. In addition to its regular members, the children activists of the Friends of Children Serbia actively participated in this meeting by presenting their views and experiences of violence to which children were exposed in society and suggestions of possible solutions. These children were part of a participatory group set up for the full participation of children in the adoption of a new national strategic framework for the protection of children against violence. Jasmina Miković from Praxis, President of the Steering Committee of MODS, also participated in the meeting.
Slavica Đukić Dejanović, President of the Children’s Rights Council, pointed out that the participation of children in the work of the Council was valuable, that their insights and suggestions were extremely important, and that children's participation should become a regular practice in the process of making decisions about children.
Ministers Zoran Lončar, Mladen Šarčević and Zoran Đorđević and Michel Saint-Lo, UNICEF Representative in Serbia, also participated in the work of the Children’s Rights Council. On that occasion, the Ministers signed the Call to Action to promote support for early childhood development, from pregnancy to the first 1,000 days. It was especially emphasised that the first thousand days of development of the nervous system was actually a framework for the psychological, cognitive, physical and emotional component of future adults, and that, therefore, the entire society had a task to deepen the knowledge and improve the conditions for meeting the needs of all these segments in the best possible way.
In the meeting, the Draft Strategy for the Prevention and Protection of Children against Violence was presented, followed by a conclusion on the adoption of the final text of the Draft Strategy. In addition, the newly formed Working Group for the preparation of the National Action Plan for Children was presented, in which Jasmina Miković will take part as a MODS representative. The importance of creating a comprehensive document that would clearly define the state’s policy towards children was highlighted as an important precondition for the advancement of children’s rights and the improvement of living and growing conditions for children in Serbia.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for January 2018
In January, the number of refugees/migrants met and interviewed by Praxis’ mobile team did not exceed 180 on a daily basis, including the newly arrived ones, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian border. Throughout January, Praxis provided assistance to a total of 855 refugees/migrants, through information, referrals to the targeted assistance provided by various organisations/institutions or covering the costs of transport to the asylum and reception centres.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 480 newly arrived refugees and migrants (301 adults - 256 men and 45 women, and 179 children - 156 boys and 23 girls, including 121 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), of whom 118 boys and 3 girls) with relevant information. Out of the total of 480 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 98 persons or 20.4% of them were from Afghanistan. Sixty-two (62) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 12.9% of the total number. Seventy-two (72) refugees and migrants came from Iraq (15.0%). Sixty-seven (67) refugees/migrants (14.3%) came from Pakistan, which is significantly fewer than in the previous month when 105 refugees/migrants came from Pakistan. One hundred and thirty-seven (137) refugees/migrants (28.5% of the total number) came from Iran. The refugees/migrants from Iran continue arriving by plane: 122 of them in January. Five (5) refugees/migrants came from Morocco (1.0%). Eleven (11) refugees/migrants (2.3%) came from Algeria. A total of 28 (5.8%) refugees/migrants came from other countries - Libya (14), India (2), Sri Lanka (3), Mali (1), Turkey (1), Montenegro (1), Jordan (1), Kazakhstan (1), China (1), Nepal (1), Somalia (1) and Tunisia (1).
For more information, see the related announcement here.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for December 2017
In December, the number of refugees/migrants met and interviewed by Praxis’ mobile team every day did not exceed 180, including the newly arrived ones, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian border. In this period, Praxis provided assistance to a total of 1106 refugees/migrants, through information, referrals to the targeted assistance provided by various organisations/institutions or covering the costs of transport to the asylum and reception centres.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 544 newly arrived refugees and migrants (361 adults - 289 men and 72 women, and 183 children - 154 boys and 29 girls, including 124 unaccompanied and separated children (UASC), of whom 121 boys and 3 girls) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is a significantly smaller number than in the previous month when we informed 865 newly arrived refugees/migrants. Out of the total of 544 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 96 persons or 17.6% of them were from Afghanistan. Sixty-six (66) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 12.1% of the total number. Fifty-five (55) refugees/migrants came from Iraq (10.1%), which is a significantly lower percentage than in the previous months (447 in October and 188 in November). One hundred and five (105) refugees/migrants (19.3%) came from Pakistan. One hundred and eighty-five (185) refugees/migrants (34.0% of the total number) came from Iran. Three (3) newly arrived refugees/migrants came from Morocco (0.6%). A total of 34 refugees/migrants (6.3%) came from other countries: Bangladesh (9), India (7), Palestine (3), Libya (7), Sri Lanka (3), Mali (1), Turkey (2), Cameroon (1) and Egypt (1).
For more information, see the related announcement here.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for November 2017
In November, the number of refugees/migrants met and interviewed by Praxis’ mobile team in Belgrade every day did not exceed 200 on a daily basis. This number includes the newly arrived ones, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after an unsuccessful attempt to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian border. Praxis provided assistance to a total of 1,620 refugees/migrants, through information, referrals to the targeted assistance provided by various organisations/institutions or covering the costs of transport to the asylum and reception centres.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 865 newly arrived refugees and migrants (601 adults – 494 males and 107 females, and 264 children – 203 boys and 61 girls, including 125 unaccompanied and separated children, all male) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is a smaller number than in the previous month when we informed 1274 newly arrived refugees/migrants. During this month, Praxis has visited Obrenovac in order to provide as many refugees/migrants as possible with relevant and timely information.
Out of the total of 865 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 199 persons or 23% of them were from Pakistan. Since the lifting of visa requirements for Iranian citizens, the number of people from Iran who expressed their intention to seek asylum in Serbia has increased. In November, 196 refugees/migrants (22.7% of the total number) came from Iran. One hundred and eighty-eight (188) refugees and migrants came from Iraq (21.7%). One hundred and fifty-eight (158) or 18.3% of all newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Afghanistan. A total of fifty-five (55) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 6.4% of the total number. Six (6) newly arrived refugees/migrants came from Algeria (0.7%). A total of 63 refugees/migrants (7.3%) came from other countries: Bangladesh, Somalia, Libya, India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Guinea, China and Cameroon.
Only the families waiting for registration or transport to one of the asylum or reception centres they had been referred too still had the option of spending the night in Miksalište. The adult single men stayed outdoors overnight, in the parks, at the railway station, in the abandoned buildings near the bus and railway stations. As regards food, clothing and medical assistance: Info Park provided meals for newly arrived refugees/migrants; the MSF clinic worked; there was still no organised distribution of clothing outside of the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac.
For more information, see the related announcement here.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for October 2017
In October, the number of refugees/migrants met and interviewed by Praxis’ mobile team every day did not exceed 300 on a daily basis, including the newly arrived ones, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian border. In this reporting period, Praxis provided assistance to a total of 1883 refugees/migrants, through information, referrals to the targeted assistance provided by various organisations/institutions or covering the costs of transport to the asylum and reception centres.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 1274 newly arrived refugees and migrants (901 adults and 373 children, including 188 unaccompanied and separated children - UASC) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is significantly more than in the previous month when we informed 956 newly arrived refugees/migrants. During this month, Praxis has visited Obrenovac several times thus expanding its activities, in order to provide as many refugees/migrants as possible with relevant and timely information. Out of the total of 1274 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 213 persons or 16.7% of them were from Afghanistan. A total of twenty-two (22) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 1.7% of the total number. Four hundred and forty-seven (447) refugees and migrants came from Iraq (35.1%). Three hundred and ninety-seven (397) refugees/migrants came from Pakistan, which is a significantly higher percentage than in the previous period. A total of 126 refugees/migrants (9.9% of the total number of refugees/migrants) came from Iran, which is also a significant increase compared to the previous period in which we informed 26 newly arrived refugees/migrants from Iran. Since the lifting of visa requirements for Iranian citizens, the number of people from Iran who expressed their intention to seek asylum has increased. Five (5) newly arrived refugees/migrants came from Algeria (0.4%). A total of 64 refugees/migrants (5.0%) came from other countries: Bangladesh, India, Palestine, Libya, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Tunisia, Mali, Myanmar and Turkey.
For more information, see the related announcement here.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for September 2017
In September 2017, the number of newly arrived refugees/migrants almost doubled compared to the previous month and Praxis’ mobile teams met and interviewed up to 200 refugees/migrants on a daily basis. This number includes the new arrivals, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian borders. In this reporting period, Praxis assisted a total of 1,407 persons.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 956 newly arrived refugees and migrants (633 adults and 323 children, including 96 unaccompanied and separated children - UASC) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is significantly more than in the previous month when we informed 500 newly arrived refugees/migrants. During this month, Praxis has visited Obrenovac several times thus expanding its activities, in order to provide as many refugees/migrants as possible with relevant and timely information. Out of the total of 956 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 59 persons or 6.2% of them were from Afghanistan. A hundred and one (101) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 10.6% of the total number. Five hundred and ninety-one (595) refugees/migrants came from Iraq (62.2%), which is a significantly higher percentage than in the previous period. One hundred and thirteen (113) refugees/migrants (11.8%) came from Pakistan. Twenty-six (26) refugees/migrants (4.9% of the total number) came from Iran. One (1) newly arrived refugee/migrant came from Morocco (0.1%), 14 refugees/migrants (1.5%) came from Algeria, while a total of 47 (4.9%) refugees/migrants came from other countries: Bangladesh, India, Palestine, Libya, Somalia, Guinea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Armenia.
The families waiting for registration or transport to one of the asylum or reception centres they had been referred to still had the option of spending the night in Miksalište. Although the procedures for expressing the intention to seek asylum were conducted regularly in the Police Station in Savska Street, the number of persons using this option increased due to a growing number of newly arrived refugees/migrants. The adult men stayed outdoors overnight, in the parks, at the railway station or in front of Miksalište if their families were spending the night in there. There was still no organised transport to the reception and asylum centres, like in the previous reporting period. However, in this reporting period, UNHCR and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration organised the transport to the Asylum Centre Bogovađa and the Reception Centre Pirot on several occasions, thus helping several dozens of refugees/migrants to reach the place of accommodation. As regards food, clothing and medical assistance, the situation in the field has improved: Info Park provided one meal for newly arrived refugees/migrants; the MSF clinic worked; there was still no organised distribution of clothing outside of the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac.
For more information, see the related announcement here.
Praxis Has Published Protection Monitoring Report on Migration for August 2017
In August, the largest number of refugees/migrants met and/or interviewed by Praxis’ mobile team during a day, was 290, including the newly arrived ones, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian border.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 500 newly arrived refugees and migrants (347 adults and 153 children, including 85 unaccompanied and separated children - UASC) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is significantly more than in the previous month when we provided 191 newly arrived refugees/migrants with relevant information. During this month, Praxis visited the town of Obrenovac several times thus expanding its activities, in order to provide as many refugees/migrants as possible with relevant and timely information. Out of the total of 500 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, one hundred and fifty (150) refugees/migrants (30.0%) came from Pakistan. One hundred and twenty-one (121) refugees/migrants came from Iraq (24.2%), which is a significantly higher percentage than in the previous period. 103 persons or 20.6% of them were from Afghanistan. Twenty-six (26) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 5.2% of the total number. 18 refugees/migrants (3.6%) came from Algeria, thirteen (13) refugees/migrants (2.6% of the total number) came from Iran. Nine (9) newly arrived refugees/migrants came from Morocco (1.8%), while a total of 60 (12.0%) refugees/migrants came from other countries: Bangladesh, India, Palestine, Tunisia, Eritrea, Libya, Egypt and Mauritania.
In this reporting period, the families waiting for registration or transport to one of the asylum or reception centres they had been referred to still had the option of spending the night in Miksalište. The adult men stayed outdoors overnight, in the parks or at the railway station. There is still no organised transport to the reception and asylum centres, like in the previous reporting period. As regards food, clothing and medical assistance, the situation in the field remains unchanged: there is still no organised distribution of food and clothing outside of the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac. In the previous period, the lack of medical assistance in the field in the afternoon hours caused concerns. In August, MSF extended working hours, and in this reporting period, medical doctors were present in the field from 9 AM to 8 PM.
For more information, see the related announcement here.
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