Asylum seekers in the transit zone in Hungary – only 11% of asylum seekers were granted asylum in 2017

During the first six months of 2017, 1,979 individuals requested asylum in Hungary at the transit zone between the aforementioned country and Serbia, while 321 requests were granted. Among those granted asylum were individuals from Afghanistan (117), Syria (111), Iraq (38), and Somalia (8) according to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee data. As many  as 79% […]


Refugee Situation in Serbia in July 2017

Number of refugees and migrants in Serbia at the end of July 2017 dropped to 4,997 which is the lowest number in the last eleven months. Some 93 percent were accommodated in five asylum centres (Krnjaca, Banja Koviljaca, Bogovadja, Sjenica, Tutin) and thirteen reception centres (Subotica, Sombor, Kikinda, Adasevci, Principovac, Obrenovac, Pirot, Divljana, Dimitrovgrad, Bosilegrad, […]


Transcending the Borders

In June 2017, a special festival which erases borders among the local and refugee population took place in 12 European cities. The festival in question is the Refugee Food Festival, which was organised by Food Sweet Food and UNHCR. Restaurants in Rome, Amsterdam, Lyon, Marseilles, Brussels, Bordeaux, Lille, Athens, Florence, Madrid, Milano, and Bari opened […]


Refugee Situation in Serbia in June 2017

According to UNHCR data, at the end of June there were 5,895 persons likely in need of international protection in Serbia. More than 94% of these persons were accommodated in one of 18 governmental centres. Vast majority of persons accommodated in these centres during June were from so-called refugee producing countries – Afghanistan, Iraq and […]


A Day in the Life of a Child Refugee in Belgrade

Eleven-year-old Abuzar from Baghlan province in Afghanistan traveled on his own to Serbia. This is his story.   „I am waiting to play the ‘game’, to cross this last border to Europe,“ said 11-year-old Abuzar with a resolute calmness, despite being on his own. Amid scores of men gathered around a fire to survive the […]


World Refugee Day, 20 June

Throughout the world, 20 of June is a day that marks the strength, courage and perseverance of some 21.3 million refugees, almost half of whom are children. On this day every year attention is focused on the position of refugees and displaced persons around the world, on the reasons for which they leave their countries […]


Two Years, Two Months, Two Weeks and Two Days

Towns of Kefraya and al-Fu’ah are located in the Northeastern Syria in the Idlib Governorate. According to the 2004 census, population of Kefraya was around 4,500, whereas al-Fu’ah had 10,000 inhabitants. However, population of these towns rose to 20,000 since the beginning of the conflict. The distance between Kefraya and al-Fu’ah, both Shia, is around […]


Protecting all children in migration: European Commission outlines priority actions

In recent years that has been a large increase in numbers of children fleeing their countries of origin and arriving on European territory. More than a third of all asylum seekers in the European Union are children. There has been a six-fold increase in the total number of child asylum applicants in the last six […]