Within the project “Building Together – Community Monitoring and Advocacy“ recommendations on the position of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Serbia were presented on Monday, December 11, 2017, at the Cultural Center “Parobrod”. The event was opened by Norbert Beckmann-Dierkes, director of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation for Serbia and Montenegro, who spoke about Germany’s experiences in the integration of migrants, as well as the role of Germany in the development of tolerance and democracy in Serbian society.

It is time for the integration of migrants into Serbian society

Institutions in Serbia can no longer treat migrants from Middle East as if they are passing through our territory, but need to take responsibility for their integration into Serbian society.

Belgrade, December 18, 2017, 23:25

That is the message of today’s conference of the Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings “Atina” and Konrad Adenauer Foundation in the Media Center.

Serbia should work on creating conditions for long-term support and integration of refugees and migrants, as they are not simply in transit any longer, but are staying in the country for up to 10 months on average - this is the conclusion of the presented research “Opportunities and obstacles for the inclusion of refugees and migrants into the main streams of society in Serbia”.

On Monday, December 18, at 11 o’clock, in the small hall of the Media Center, there was a presentation of the results of a research “Opportunities and obstacles for the inclusion of refugees and migrants into the main streams of society in Serbia” (Protection of refugees and migrants in Serbia from 2015 to 2017). The research represents an overview of data on the position of migrants and refugees in Serbia, with a special focus on the rights of women among the migrant population.

Representatives of state institutions, local government, and civil society organizations completed the training on monitoring that was held in Presevo on the last day on November and the first day of December. These 12 colleagues are members of the informal network for monitoring and advocacy that has been created for a mutual goal - to improve the position of refugees and migrants in Presevo, and the quality of coexistence in this town.

Members of the Local network in Vranje completed the training on monitoring at the end of November. During the two days of work, 24 participants were introduced to the monitoring matrix, as well as each of the segments of the monitoring system dealing with refugees and migrants in Vranje.

The Local network in Vranje is made up of representatives of the health, education, social system, as well as civil society, Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, Red Cross, National Employment Agency, and municipal administration.

It is important to include refugees themselves, as well as the local community, to provide feedback on what is needed in the system, so that we can advocate for changes to existing gaps, that is what the project “Building Together” is dealing with, said Marija Cvejic from the Association “Atina”, guest of the Novi dan broadcast.

“Our opinion is that the issue of refugee crisis is not the problem, but the fact that the system of values rooted in our society experienced its own crisis during this refugee crisis,” said the guest of the Morning topic.

“Building Together” in Macedonia: four local networks have been formed in three cities

Within the project “Building Together – Community Monitoring and Advocacy” four local networks have been formed in Macedonia so far - in Gevgelija, Kumanovo, and two in Skopje. The aim of these networks is to help improve the quality of coexistence of migrants and local population, with a special focus on the issues women and children are facing. 

A film about Mursal and Marija - our story about the coexistence of refugees and citizens of Serbia

Mursal and Marija, two girls with similar interests, close in age, one from Afghanistan, the other from Serbia, are the main protagonists of a short documentary film which is, within our project, being prepared by the production company Osmougao.

Local news - Friday, July 28, 2017 - 11:04

This year, Local network for combating human trafficking in the City of Vranje marks July 30, World Day against Trafficking in Persons, with an action that will include migrants as the most vulnerable category in these transactions.

Local network for combating human trafficking in Vranje will mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons by distributing leaflets and promotional material on Monday, July 31, 2017, in the period from 11 AM to 1 PM.