Visit to the reception center for migrants and elementary schools in Kikinda

Within the scope of the activities of monitoring the process of involving migrant children in the territory of AP Vojvodina in the education system of the Republic of Serbia, the Provincial protector of citizens - the Ombudsman, the deputy for the rights of the child, Milan Dakić and the Senior Advisor Jagoda Vještica visited the Reception center for migrants in Kikinda, as well as two elementary schools “Djura Jaksic" and " Zarko Zrenjanin."

Based on the authority to oversee the implementation of international human rights regulations and standards, and bearing in mind the country’s obligations as a member of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Ombudsman specifically monitors the implementation of appropriate measures which enable migrant children to receive appropriate protection in the exercise of their rights contained in this Convention, including the right to education in particular.

Based on the on-sight visit, the Ombudsman emphasized the satisfactory results of the assistance provided so far in the implementation of the rights of migrant children to education, which within the scope of their powers and capacities is provided by the representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration, the territorially competent school administrations, the elementary schools attended by these children, the health and social protection institutions, as well as the local self-government units, and numerous humanitarian organizations.

Their joint efforts aim to enable migrant children to spend the time at the reception centers as carefree as possible for every child , and that the right to education, which is in the best interest of the child, is adequately achieved: in schools, in classrooms and with their peers.

It is encouraging that this has been recognized by the responsible subjects in the country, and that these activities are primarily oriented towards the socialization of children, inclusion in school life, socializing with their peers, in order to enable them to somehow forget the horrors of the war they survived and alleviate the grief for the homes they left. Upon completion of all planned activities related to monitoring the process of involving children of migrants in the education system, the Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman will draw up a special report on the topic based on the collected information and propose measures for further improvement of the situation in this field.

Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman visited the reception center in Subotica

Deputy Provincial Protector of Citizens - Ombudsman Milan Dakic visited the Reception center for migrants in Subotica. The goal of the visit was to gain insights into the ways of the center’s operations, the conditions of reception and the possibilities of exercising and protecting the human rights for the beneficiaries, as well as the problems that the staff and the beneficiaries may be facing. Discussing with the representatives of the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia, special attention was paid to the manner of involving children in the education system and the organization of classes in the reception center.

The reception center in Subotica predominantly hosts the migrants from the Middle East countries, on their way to the EU. However, due to the rigid conditions for entry into the European Union when it comes to migrants from the war-affected areas, these migrants have a prolonged stay at the center, while attempting to find ways to continue their journey.