Montenegro

Last week, demonstrations picked up in Russia and Ukraine, but remained well below the high levels seen before the holiday period. Demonstrations in the Balkans and Southeastern Europe continued, with most events taking place in Montenegro and Greece.

Serbian Orthodox Christians in Montenegro protested for the fourth week against the new Religious Freedom Law. Several dozen protests took place across the country. Several protests in support of the Church were also held in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

TRENDS AND KEY FIGURES

MEDITERRANEAN ROUTES: 112,600 refugees and migrants arrived via the three Mediterranean routes to Europe from January to November 2019. This represents a 14% decrease compared to the same period last year (131,000). In November, 14,000 refugees and migrants arrived via these routes, which is a 39% increase compared to November 2018 and a 20% decrease compared to October 2019.

17 December 2019, Moscow - Hunger in Europe and Central Asia is low, but a high number of people are affected by moderate food insecurity, such as limited food and access to nutritious food, as well as overweight and obesity, revealed a new FAO report.

Last week, demonstrations over a wide range of issues returned to levels seen prior to the calm holiday period in the Balkans, Southeastern Europe and parts of Eastern Europe. In Ukraine and Russia, the number of demonstration events remained low as the holiday period there extended into last week.

A total of 117,904 migrants and refugees arrived in Europe through different land and sea routes between January and November 2019, 12 per cent less than the same period of 2018 when 133,655 sea and land arrivals were reported, 34 per cent less than the 178,232 arrivals registered in this period of 2017 and 68 per cent less than the 373,260 registered during this period in 2016.

New analysis reveals an estimated 6.9 million children who have been forced from their homes across parts of Europe, the Middle East and Asia are at risk from a harsh winter that can dip to 0°C or below.

Save the Children identified twelve countries struggling with high numbers of displaced children where winter temperatures regularly hit freezing. Many of these children will be forced to face the bitter cold in flimsy tents, inadequate shelter or even out in the open, the aid agency said. In the worst cases, and without urgent support, these conditions can be deadly.

TRENDS AND KEY FIGURES

MEDITERRANEAN ROUTES: 99,000 refugees and migrants have arrived via the three Mediterranean routes1 to Europe in January-October 2019. This is a roughly 18% decrease compared to the same period last year, when 121,000 people had arrived. In October, some 17,600 refugees and migrants arrived via these routes, which is a 4% decrease compared to October 2018 and 10% decrease compared to September 2019.

Refugee and migrant children in Europe, especially girls and boys traveling alone, are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, including gender-based violence, in countries of arrival, transit and destination. Despite drastic measures to stop irregular migration, including pushbacks at borders and constraints on rescue operations, the influx level is expected to remain high in 2020 and 2021. In 2019, 57,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe, one quarter of them children.

BRATISLAVA / VIENNA / WARSAW, 25 November 2019 – On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence, OSCE leaders called on participating States to step up efforts to end gender-based violence in all spheres of life, including violence and harassment at home and in the workplace.

Summary of key trends observed

Podgorica, 8 November 2019 - Following an invitation by the Government of Montenegro, I conducted an official visit to the country from 1 to 8 November 2019 to assess the situation of trafficking in persons, especially women and children, and identify the progress made and remaining challenges in combating this human rights violation.

TRENDS AND KEY FIGURES

Over 19,900 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe via the three Mediterranean routes in September 2019. In the first nine months of the year, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Europe by these three routes dropped by 21% from 102,700 in 2018 to 81,000 in 2019. Most refugees and migrants entering Europe via the Mediterranean routes this year did so via Greece.

Geneva – the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that 82,978 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea through 23 October, a 15 per cent decrease from the 97,765 arriving during the same period last year.

Over half all arrivals this year (45,105) have landed in Greece, while almost one-quarter (20,036) have landed in Spain. Greece and Spain combine to account for 78 per cent of the region’s irregular sea landings, with the balance arriving in much smaller proportions to Italy, Malta and Cyprus (see chart below).

This Quarterly Mixed Migration Update (QMMU) covers the Middle East region (ME). The core countries of focus for this region are Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel and Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, and Turkey. Depending on the quarterly trends and migrationrelated updates, more attention may be given to some countries over the rest.

On October 4 the Italian government signed a decree establishing a list of countries designated as “safe countries of origin”. The concept was introduced for the first time in the Italian asylum procedure following the 2018 legislative reform and its implementation comes as part of a plan by the Minister of Foreign Affairs to facilitate the return of asylum seekers to their countries of origin.

Last week, the run-up to the elections in Kosovo remained peaceful. In Montenegro, anti-government protests resumed after a long hiatus. In Greece, riots and protests broke out in overcrowded migrant camps after a significant increase in arrivals. In Russia, protests against the local election irregularities and government crackdown on protesters and activists continued. In Ukraine, dozens of protests were held against the agreement reached on Donbass, while fighting in that region continued at similar levels to the week prior.