Support and a friend that children can confide in
Unaccompanied children in Ušivak are cared for by seven guardians who are at their disposal 24/7
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When he turned 14, Munir* from Morocco decided to leave school, learn the carpentry trade and set out for Western Europe in search of a job and a better life.
"I heard that in Europe you can get a job easily, that the wages are better, the livelihood and the future are better, and I decided to give it a try. My sister and parents stayed in Morocco", says Munir, who as an unaccompanied minor has been housed in the Temporary Reception Centre "Ušivak" near Hadžići for almost a year.
He is satisfied with the conditions at the Centre, participates in sports activities, attends workshops, and most of all he likes to learn languages. He also gladly takes part in joint environmental clean-up actions that are organized in cooperation with the local population, and he also underwent hairdressing training, which is implemented by the PI Secondary School Centre Hadžići as part of the Vocational Training Programme for Migrant and Refugee Children, with the support of UNICEF and World Vision BiH.
Munir was part of the group of teenagers we visited in May, during the training. "I gained another skill that will help me get a job, I also got a certificate, so now I can work as a hairdresser and a carpenter and I have a better chance of getting a job. We have a salon here that we can use on weekends, so sometimes I cut the hair of one of my friends from the Centre. I also wanted to enrol in a cooking course that was available through the same programme, but at the time of enrolment I planned to move on, so I hope that there will be an opportunity to acquire this skill as well", says Munir, adding that with all the activities and opportunities during his stay at the Centre, it is especially important that he has guardians available to take care of him:
"I'm glad to know that I can talk to my guardian at any time if I need help, and if he's not there, there's always someone else I can turn to," says Munir.
Support in the form of guardianship is provided by the Social Protection Service (SPS) Hadžići in cooperation with UNICEF and World Vision. In addition to the guardians, through the thematic funds for emergency situations and global humanitarian thematic funds, UNICEF also supports the work of a lawyer who performs legal work at the SPS Hadžići for the issuance of Decisions on Guardianship for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors.
Mirela Begić is one of the guardians of unaccompanied minors. "When I finished my studies in education, I never dreamed that in the future I would be the guardian of boys and girls from Afghanistan, Iraq, Cuba, Burundi, Guinea and other countries from which children come, who pass through Bosnia and Herzegovina on their way to the West," Mirela tells us.
"We have undergone the necessary training and we are continuously educating ourselves, we are familiar with the rules, and our goal is the well-being and the best outcome for every child. We are a support for the children, but also a friend they can confide in," says Mirela, who at the time of our conversation was designated as the guardian of two girls from Burundi, explaining to us that the guardians are with the child from the time of arrival to the TRC until they leave the centre:
"When an unaccompanied child arrives, the child goes through all the necessary procedures, undergoes a medical examination, receives a hygiene package and clothes, gets acquainted with the centre's schedule, is assigned accommodation and is given time to adapt. The day after, one of the guardians gets to know the child better, and usually he or she will be his or her guardian during the stay here. We are available to the child for everything they need - from accompanying them in case of a visit to the doctor or going to school, to situations if the child wants to talk about a problem".
In the event that there is a doubt related to age or kinship in the case of "male families" consisting of minors accompanied by an adult male close relative, in cooperation with SPS Hadžići and the Service for Foreigners' Affairs, a multidisciplinary team was set up, which is immediately formed in order to establish additional facts through a comprehensive approach and without retraumatizing the minor.
"The team consists of a psychologist, a social worker or one of us who are potential guardians at that moment, and a cultural mediator. An interview is conducted, additional information about the kinship is requested, and the procedure does not take long. It rarely happens, but there are attempts for one of the adults to present himself as a relative of an unaccompanied minor in order to take advantage of the benefits of accommodation, but they usually admit this immediately during the interview", Mirela explains to us, adding that a team can also be formed in the event that a suspicious situation is noticed during the stay.
Guardians are assigned in rotations so that one of them is always on duty during the 24 hours, while three of them are always present during the day.
Each of us has children for whom, by decision, we are a guardian and we manage an individual protection plan, but while we are here we all take care of each child and are at their disposal, and if something specific happens that requires a guardian who is not assigned to the camp at that moment – they are called and they come. We try to encourage children to engage in various activities that are available to them - from sports, through creative and psycho-social workshops and trainings, to Akelius language courses, which they gladly attend, and indeed we quickly notice significant progress in most of them", Mirela tells us, adding that it is precisely the dynamism of the work that is a special challenge for her, and says that after all the experiences of field work, it is difficult to imagine herself working in an office.
The head of the Social Work Service Hadžići, Melisa Hasanović, points out that the support they received helped the Service itself, the families and children of refugees and migrants located in Ušivak, but also the local population by relieving our capacities so that all of this would not have an impact on the support we provide to them:
"Family law, as well as humanity, defines the protection of children, regardless of their citizenship. The support we received through the engagement of a lawyer who writes guardianship decisions is particularly important, because we cannot get everything done from other obligations," says Hasanović, emphasizing the importance of creating a Guide for treatment of minor foreigners in TRC Ušivak, which explains step by step the procedures related to unaccompanied children, from the first contact with service providers to leaving:
"We are the first TRC to develop a workflow on treatment, so that all actors know what their job is, what they can and are allowed to do, and it is used as an example of good practice for BiH and the region. The workflow also resulted in a guide for treatment of unaccompanied minors in TRC Ušivak, which is elaborated in detail, and which is a huge step forward in this practice and something that I believe will help others as well".
As an example of good practice, she mentions the formation of multidisciplinary teams, which are very important for assessing the age of unaccompanied minors and assessing male families.
"Members of the team conduct a social interview with the minor and, based on the assessment, make recommendations to the Service for Foreigners' Affairs. In addition to assessment, the existence of such a team is also very important for the prevention of possible cases of human trafficking and any form of abuse of minors," says Melisa Hasanović. She adds that, considering the enormous responsibility that comes with the job of guardian of unaccompanied minors, it is very important to continuously work on their education, as well as on supervision and support, and that all the experiences and support they received strengthened the Service itself, and prepared them for all other possible crisis situations that may occur:
"This is a very important lesson we have learned for further action, because the situation with migrants, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic that hit us, showed us that in a short moment we can find ourselves in a situation that is difficult to deal with. All employees have gone through some of the training, and we are simply better prepared for a large number of different crisis situations, quick response and providing intervention support".
* The name has been changed to protect the identity of the individual
