Per la libertà di movimento, per i diritti di cittadinanza

Tuzla: two months later

Within the Lesvos calling campaign, as Open Your Borders (Padova), we have come back to Bosnia for the second time to monitor the situation in Tuzla and Sarajevo. Bosnia was supposed to be, for most migrants, only a short stop on their journey towards the central countries of the European Union, but for many people it is becoming a long stay because of the violent rejections by the Croatian police; for this reason, people are trying to get in this fortified Europe through new routes, such as the border between Serbia and Romania, which, although being considered less supervised, is still described by witnesses as a place of savage violence.

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As we had already seen on our first trip, Tuzla is becoming more and more of a crossroads in the Balkan route, even if it is not a border town. The matter was initially dealt with by some citizens who organised on their own to try and find solutions and to provide the migrants with basic commodities.
Two months after, with the funding and means that have arrived from international organizations among which the IOM (International Organization for Migration), some of these self-organised realities have become formal structures, and this has lead, for instance, to the opening of a “Safe House” and to the planning of a space thought only for minors.
During the visit to the “Safe House”, we have met people who suffer from serious psycho-physical problems who, in this place, have had the possibility to get some rest from the precarious situation they live in as refugees.
The structure designed for minors is still being set up, and it is going to become a safe space for the underage migrants.

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Visiting the train station in Tuzla once more, what strikes us right away is that the number of tents has increased, more than doubled compared to two months ago. Every night more or less 300 migrants come here (they come mainly from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maghreb, Bangladesh, India), although it is not easy to assess a precise number. Many choose to leave after a short time and attempt to cross the border or to travel inside of Bosnia. With the mitigation of winter, the number of migrants arriving from Serbia has increased, so much so that local activists tell us there has been an extraordinary increase in numbers just this last week.

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In addition to adults and families, the number of unaccompanied minors has grown. These young migrants, regardless of their age, do not receive any preferential treatment and as all the other people that stay at the station, they don’t have access to running water, showers or restrooms.

As both migrants and local activists predict, when spring comes the situation could worsen due to the increase in numbers, and in that case the city’s solidarity network will become insufficient.

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* Photo credit: Martina Perrone

#Lesvoscalling

Una campagna solidale per la libertà di movimento
Dopo il viaggio conoscitivo a ottobre 2019 a Lesvos e sulla Balkan route, per documentare e raccontare la drammatica situazione sull'isola hotspot greca e conoscere attivisti/e e volontari/e che si adoperano a sostegno delle persone migranti, è iniziata una campagna solidale lungo la rotta balcanica e le "isole confino" del mar Egeo.
Questa pagina raccoglie tutti gli articoli e il testo di promozione della campagna.
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