Today’s world has become a place of conflict and persecution, creating a large number of refugees who seek peace, the opportunity to work, to continue their education, have a safe childhood, gather the family together and friends.

Many refugees in search of a peaceful life fleeing conflict or persecution see our country as a place where they can start life anew. The successful process of their integration is consisting of: achieving a dignified life, adjusting to cultural norms and the local community, but also a significant contribution that refugees can make to the development of society with their previous experience, knowledge and talents. In this process, they need the help of all of us!

Public discourse in Serbia, including television with a national frequency, is full of false news and inappropriate content on most social and political issues. Manipulation of facts, especially numbers when the topic of refugees in this regard is also present, especially on the Internet, and contributes to the spread of hate speech and fear among the citizens of Serbia.

The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights is launching an online campaign #MiLjudiZajednoMožemoViše to highlight the importance refugee’s integration into Serbian society and the mutual benefits that both society and its new members have from this process. In addition, we want to point out the importance of social cohesion, multiculturalism and contribute to reducing the gap between communities in order to create a tolerant society where everyone has a chance for a dignified life.

Once again, we want to point out the importance of transparent migration policy, which would make citizen information on this issue accessible and clearly presented. 

You can follow the campaign #MiLjudiZajednoMožemoViše on our social media profiles – on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights today presented its new annual report  “Youth Rights in the Republic of Serbia in 2020” at an online event.

The Report shows that youth in Serbia faced numerous challenges in exercising their human rights in the year behind us, including their rights to work, education, freedom of movement, information and, in particular, their right to health and access to healthcare amidst the global COVID-19 pandemic. Paradoxically, no data are available on the number of youth tested, infected by or treated for coronavirus although they were stigmatised as the main carriers of the disease since it struck.

“Neither the Public Health Institute nor the Health Ministry were able to provide us with data on the number of youth tested, infected by or treated at home or in hospital for coronavirus last year. This additionally complicates the situation in view of the fact that the media have been targetting youth as the main carriers of the disease. Our analysis of media reports in 2020 shows that the greatest number of claims that youth were to blame for the spread of COVID-19 came from the Crisis HQ,” said Nevena Nikolić, BCHR’s Youth Programme Coordinator and one of the authors of the Report.

Restrictions of the youth’s freedom of movement in the context of the pandemic in 2020 included, notably, the curfew, quarantine and ban on entering or leaving the country. Long lockdown periods, coupled with prohibitions of movement in parks and other sites designated for recreation, impinged on the youth’s mental and physical health. Data show that as many as one-third of the fines for violating the curfew were levied against young people and that youth (18-30 years old) were on average imposed higher fines than the other generations.

The year behind us also showed that youth attached key importance to environmental protection, aware that the resolution of these challenges would impact on the quality of their lives in the long term. Assessments are that at least 44% of youth are as interested in environmental topics as in other political issues and that they qualify environmental protection as the greatest value for society. Around 1,250,000 youth live in Serbian cities and muncipalities registering excessive pollution levels.

Youth employment levels dropped even more due to the pandemic – only half of youth between 20 and 29 ears old have jobs, compared with nearly two-thirds of their peers in EU Member States. Many youth working from home and so-called freelancers lack awareness of the legal provisions on remote work or their employers’ obligations.

The closing down of schools and colleges impinged the most on poor youth and youth from rural areas, who did not have access to the Internet, computers or other devices for communication, information and remote learning.

Roma youth faced even greater challenges during the pandemic than their non-Roma peers, especially given that most of the Roma population was unable to comply with epidemiological measures since numerous informal Roma settlements lack access to drinking water, a sewage system and electricity. Roma youth’s access to education was particularly undermined due to lack of technical prerequisites for remote learning (lack of electricity, the Internet, computers, tablets and smart phones).

The pandemic particularly impinged on the lives of youth with disabilities, who are not independent and are living with their parents who are over 65, and youth with HIV or other chronic or systemic illnesses. Education of youth with disabilities was further fraught with challenges when the pandemic struck, due to the lack of clear procedures, needs assessments and additional support in inclusive education.

Participants in the event at which the “Youth Rights in the Republic of Serbia in 2020” Report was presented were addressed by Gordana Čomić, the Minister of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue; Snežana Klašnja, the Youth Policy Adviser of the Minister of Youth and Sports; Milan Marković, the Head of the UN Human Rights Team in Serbia; Sonja Tošković, the BCHR Executive Director; and the Report authors Nevena Nikolić, Goran Sandić, Luka Mihajlović and Marina Simeunović. 

The research, translation and publication of the “Youth Rights in the Republic of Serbia in 2020” Report were supported by the UN Human Rights Team in Serbia. The Report includes an analysis of the youth’s realisation of their civil, political, economic, cultural and social rights. The Report focuses on 15 rights and freedoms, the human rights situation of youth with disabilities and the status of Roma youth.

The Report is available HERE.

The video recording of the online presentation of the “Youth Rights in the Republic of Serbia in 2020” report is available here:

Call for Applications for the COOLTOUR TUBE Programme, an intercultural workshop for local and refugee and asylum-seeking youth CoolTour Tube is back after a brief break! We’ll be exploring how much we can achieve, learn and benefit together! 

Two BCHR programmes (the Asylum and Migration Programme and the Youth Programme) have  joined forces years ago to implement CoolTour Tube, a programme engaging hundreds of young people in its activities. CoolTour Tube is a programme for integration, intercultural learning and solidarity of youth, encouraging communication and active exchange among youth from different cultural, ethnic and/or religious backgrounds and advocating the full integration of all youth in society! The programme brings together youth from Serbia and young refugees from Afghanistan, Iran, Syria, Pakistan and other countries.

This year’s CoolTour Tube will include:
– Workshops on identity, interculturality, stereotypes and prejudice, which will help us understand the main concepts and become interculturally sensitive;
– Joint activities and social events. You will have the opportunity to go together to various cultural and social events and get to know each other;
– Being a buddy! You will have the opportunity to be a buddy and yourself support the inclusion of refugees and asylum seekers in society!
– Workshops you will implement! Those of you motivated to share what you’ve learned will have the opportunity to conduct your own workshops. The workshops will be led by pairs, a youth from the local community and a refugee or asylum-seeking youth.

Three two-day workshops will be held in April and May. The joint cultural and social events will take place in June and the workshops conducted by youth will be implemented in September and October.

The first workshop will be held on 8 and 9 April, from 5 to 7 pm in the Human Rights House. The participants will have to comply with all anti-COVID-19 measures. The dates of the subsequent workshops will be agreed on with the group.

If you are:
– young
– between 15 and 30 years old
– interested in learning about other cultures, revisiting your opinions and learning in contact with those different from you
– keen on supporting the integration of refugees in society
– motivated to attend the workshops and joint events in the above-mentioned period
                                                                                                     … we encourage you to apply!

If you want to join us and/or have any additional questions, write to Demir at [email protected]. 

The workshops are part of the Support to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the Republic of Serbia project, implemented by the BCHR in tandem with UNHCR in Serbia.

Join our intercultural learning channel so we can be together again! 

See you!

Refugees for Refugees – R4R is a pilot project activity that the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights has been implementing within the project Support to Refugees and Asylum Seekers in Serbia in an executive partnership with the UNHCR Office in Serbia. R4R involves the exchange of experiences between integrated refugees and refugees and asylum seekers who need additional support in integrating in Serbian society.

The integration process is a complex and long road which each refugee has to take in a new environment. However, where there is adequate support and motivation, familiarisation with the local culture and acceptance of the new social environment can yield great mutual benefits.

BCHR recognised the need for additional support to this specific group in the form of refugee assistants, who have themselves gone through the asylum procedure and the integration process and are keen to help people in a similar situation integrate and inform themselves about their rights and obligations in the most efficient way.

With their experience and advice, refugee assistants can familiarise interested clients both during the asylum procedure and after they are granted asylum, in a friendly and simple way with their rights and obligations, regarding employment, education, health care, easier navigation through new system of social rules and values, as well as high-quality and meaningful leisure activities. Assistants help empower other refugees by sharing with them their personal experience and a variety of skills and knowledge they need to cope better and communicate in Serbia.

R4R has been launched with the ultimate goal of helping refugees and asylum seekers to live in dignity in Serbia.