UNHCR Serbia update

Highlights and Statistics

• UNHCR and partners observed a continued rise of new arrivals, when they assisted 272 new asylum-seekers (compared to 188 last week), mostly Yasidi or Kurdish families from Iraq (below chart refers).
•  On 08 October, 4,361 new refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants were counted in Serbia, of which 3,888 were housed in 18 governmental centres (please see also the Joint Assessment of Government Centres).
•  80% of residents in governmental centres are from so-called refugee-producing countries: Afghanistan (63%), Iraq (13%) and Syria (4%). 41% are children, 14% adult women and 45% adult men.
•  Close to 500 refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant children attend public primary schools (of which some 70 are schooled inside the Transit Centres of Sombor, Subotica or Kikinda, and 39 over 14 years of age attend schools for adults). As part of its support to the process, UNHCR funded a new well to provide water to a primary school in Presevo.
•  At a meeting of the Refugee Protection Working Group, authorities, UNHCR and NGOs assessed and discussed protection needs, priorities and gaps for the coming winter and next year. As a result, UNHCR started temporary support to medical transport in Presevo, Bujanovac, Vranje and Obrenovac and, upon request of the Ministry of Health and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, strengthened mental health services in Obrenovac, Pirot, Divljana and Dimitrovgrad. Also discussed was the need to augment police registration and first aid/referral point capacities in Belgrade city centre to avert larger humanitarian needs and gatherings of refugees and migrants should the number of new arrivals continue growing.
•  The last round of distribution of UNHCR Non Food Relief Items (NFI) to residents in all centres was completed. Authorities requested UNHCR to start comprehensive distribution of winter clothes in mid-October.
•  Upon invitation by the Belgrade Tennis Association, UNHCR organized the participation refugee children in the Belgrade Children Fair. 100 children from Krnjaca AC greatly enjoyed participation in many athletic and creative activities (for more info and photos please see our Facebook post).
•  UNHCR and partners collected testimonies of 180 collective expulsions from Romania, 113 from Croatia and 98 from Hungary, with many alleging to have been denied due access to asylum procedures there.
• In September, 589 persons registered intentions to seek asylum in Serbia. 51% were filed by adult men, 15% by adult women and 34% were registered for children. Most asylum applicants were from Iraq (46%), Afghanistan (14%), Pakistan (13%), or Syria (10%). The Asylum Office granted one person subsidiary protection, increasing the number of positive first-instance decision during this year to three.