In December, following the Joint Advocacy Letter of the organizations involved in the refugee crisis response in Belgrade, the Working Group for solving the problems of mixed migration flows of the GoS organized a meeting with domestic and international organizations/agencies related to future potential relocation of refugees from Belgrade into a more humane shelter. All organizations/agencies again offered their support in that process. However, by the end of December, there was no relocation organized and no solution provided. Therefore, the humanitarian situation in Belgrade at the end of December 2016 was quite alarming, with nearly 2,000 persons sleeping rough in Belgrade at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius. Most of these people were sleeping in the barracks/warehouses behind the Belgrade Bus Station, in really poor conditions, without water, toilets, heating, in stuffy facilities as a result of lighting fire indoors to keep them warm, but Praxis staff counted approximately 150 on average daily sleeping outdoors, at parking lots, without any shelter. It is estimated that a third of these people are unaccompanied and separated children (UASC) who are particularly vulnerable and potentially exposed to various forms of exploitation and abuse. Refugees and migrants in Belgrade parks still obtain only one meal per day, while there is also a great need for winter non-food items. This, month, more reception centres were open for accommodation of refugees/migrants/asylum seekers, in Bosilegrad and Pirot. However, with the new arrivals, the capacities of almost all asylum and reception centres in Serbia are at full capacity or overburdened.

Praxis continued its field work in December and provided a total of 1,124 newly arrived refugees and migrants (656 adults and 468 children) in Belgrade with timely and adequate information and/or referrals, which is smaller number of arrivals than in the previous period as a result of harsh weather conditions and temperatures below zero degrees Celsius.

Download the Protection Monitoring Report HERE.