prijava
SARAJEVO, June 17 (FENA) - On the occasion of World Refugee Day, which is marked on June 20, the World Vision of Bosnia and Herzegovina reminded of the importance of respecting the human rights of people on the move, with special focus on the most vulnerable category - children unaccompanied by a parent or guardian.
According to the report on the number of refugees and migrants in BiH, eight percent of them were unaccompanied minors, and World Vision BiH, with the support of partners and donors, provided services and psychological support to 889 unaccompanied children who have been registered at the Ušivak Temporary Reception Center since the beginning of 2021.
“These children have left their homes due to threats to be recruited into paramilitary units, have survived or witnessed violence, including sexual violence, and need comprehensive support to resocialize and become active members of the community in which they live,” said the director of the NGO World Vision BiH Larisa Klepac.
The program implemented by World Vision BiH in the camps was created to provide the necessary support and alleviate the consequences of trauma, which leaving home, difficulties and uncertainty of life on the move have on the human psyche, as well as to reduce the educational gap between refugee children and their peers.
Support for unaccompanied minors is available twenty-four hours a day, every day of the week and includes an established guardianship system. They are also provided with access to non-formal education, occupational therapy and sports and recreational activities.
Children choose to leave their home country for a variety of reasons, often the loss of one or both parents and a threat to their own safety, according to World Vision BiH.
Leaving their country of origin, they face risks to their health and safety, and a real threat of sexual and work exploitation on the road, and long-term exposure to these risks dramatically increases the chances of psychological trauma, warns World Vision of BiH.
(FENA) A. B.
