Inception workshop was organized on Friday and Saturday, December 11 and 12, on the occasion of starting the project “Enhancing protection of unaccompanied minors in the region”, which will be conducted from December 1, 2015, to July 31, 2016, by three civil society organizations - ARSIS from Greece, Open Gate/La Strada from Macedonia, and NGO Atina for combating human trafficking and all forms of violence against women in Serbia, with the support and assistance of state institutions and organizations of these three countries. This project is implemented jointly with the Permanent Mission of France to the UN, and other international organizations in Vienna, whose goal is to form a network, channels of communication and exchange of information that make up the core of a comprehensive system of protection that would help state institutions and civil society organizations not only in Serbia, but also in Macedonia and Greece, to more effectively respond to the current challenges faced in relation to unaccompanied children.

Topic of the Inception meeting was improvement of the system of protection against risks of human trafficking among unaccompanied minors from the refugee population, with a special emphasis on their better detection and referral. It is well known that the situation the refugees are in carries numerous risks, not only of human trafficking, but also various forms of violence, exploitation and abuse to which unaccompanied minors are particularly exposed to. For these reasons, this project is initiated to provide a framework for a comprehensive, urgent and long-term assistance during their journey, with the aim of improving the mechanism of identification and protection of unaccompanied minors in Greece, Macedonia and Serbia.

Here is the photo gallery from Inception Workshop.