In June 2019, Praxis participated in a series of training courses delivered as part of the project "Support to Local Integration of Extremely Vulnerable IDPs, Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Serbia", implemented by Amityin partnership with UNHCR and the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. The training courses were held in Leskovac, Smederevo, Niš and Kraljevo for social welfare centre professionals and trustees of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, with the aim of expanding their knowledge of anti-discrimination regulations relevant for work with refugees, internally displaced persons and asylum seekers in Serbia.
The training concept, prepared and implemented by Marija Dražović from Praxis, included information about the legal and institutional framework, including the sources of international law and good practice, as well as domestic legislation. Given the complexity of the notion of discrimination, as well as the richness and diversity of the norms governing the protection of the right to equality, the presentation is based on a comprehensive approach to the problem of discrimination, with particular reference to the protection of refugees, internally displaced persons and asylum seekers. In addition, the participants were informed about the mechanisms available to protect the rights to equality and the shortcomings identified through the analysis of the compliance of domestic framework with international obligations and good practice as well as the shortcomings emerging in practice. However, the presentation focused mainly on the problems regarding the implementation of the existing framework and the possibilities and recommendations for improving the implementation. One part of the training was dedicated to the problem of non-transparent and non-inclusive approach in the process of policy development and adoption, with a particular focus on local policies and the consequences of this approach in their later implementation.
The training courses were very useful as they raised the issue of knowledge of the concept, framework and practice in this area and indicated that there was considerable room for improvement of the situation of vulnerable groups exposed to discrimination on an almost daily basis. The role of employees in the institutions that provided services to citizens on a daily basis in eradicating and combating discrimination was particularly discussed. This is especially important taking into account that citizens are highly exposed to discrimination in the area of service delivery in procedures before public administration bodies, which is a particularly difficult form of discrimination, defined by law.
For more information, see the announcement here.
