In September 2017, the number of newly arrived refugees/migrants almost doubled compared to the previous month and Praxis’ mobile teams met and interviewed up to 200 refugees/migrants on a daily basis. This number includes the new arrivals, the refugees/migrants accommodated in the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac and those who returned to Belgrade after unsuccessful attempts to cross the Croatian, Hungarian or Romanian borders. In this reporting period, Praxis assisted a total of 1,407 persons.
Praxis continued its field work and provided a total of 956 newly arrived refugees and migrants (633 adults and 323 children, including 96 unaccompanied and separated children - UASC) in Belgrade with relevant information, which is significantly more than in the previous month when we informed 500 newly arrived refugees/migrants. During this month, Praxis has visited Obrenovac several times thus expanding its activities, in order to provide as many refugees/migrants as possible with relevant and timely information. Out of the total of 956 newly arrived refugees/ migrants, 59 persons or 6.2% of them were from Afghanistan. A hundred and one (101) newly arrived refugees/migrants were from Syria, which accounts for 10.6% of the total number. Five hundred and ninety-one (595) refugees/migrants came from Iraq (62.2%), which is a significantly higher percentage than in the previous period. One hundred and thirteen (113) refugees/migrants (11.8%) came from Pakistan. Twenty-six (26) refugees/migrants (4.9% of the total number) came from Iran. One (1) newly arrived refugee/migrant came from Morocco (0.1%), 14 refugees/migrants (1.5%) came from Algeria, while a total of 47 (4.9%) refugees/migrants came from other countries: Bangladesh, India, Palestine, Libya, Somalia, Guinea, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Congo, Nigeria, Cameroon and Armenia.
The families waiting for registration or transport to one of the asylum or reception centres they had been referred to still had the option of spending the night in Miksalište. Although the procedures for expressing the intention to seek asylum were conducted regularly in the Police Station in Savska Street, the number of persons using this option increased due to a growing number of newly arrived refugees/migrants. The adult men stayed outdoors overnight, in the parks, at the railway station or in front of Miksalište if their families were spending the night in there. There was still no organised transport to the reception and asylum centres, like in the previous reporting period. However, in this reporting period, UNHCR and the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration organised the transport to the Asylum Centre Bogovađa and the Reception Centre Pirot on several occasions, thus helping several dozens of refugees/migrants to reach the place of accommodation. As regards food, clothing and medical assistance, the situation in the field has improved: Info Park provided one meal for newly arrived refugees/migrants; the MSF clinic worked; there was still no organised distribution of clothing outside of the Asylum Centre Krnjača and the Reception Centre Obrenovac.
For more information, see the related announcement here.
