| |
JRS Slovenia -
|
Pollitical
Developments
Two
major events defined 2008 for Slovenia. For the first
six-months of the year, Slovenia presided the European
Union for the very first time, leading many meetings on
issues such as irregular migration, harmonization of the
asylum system, organised crime, and the Schengen area.
Also, during the Slovenian presidency the Return
Directive was accepted.
In September, parliament elections were held, which
brought a change in the political makeup of the
Slovenian government. After 4 years of opposition, the
left wing coalition won the election. There emerged a
substantial hope that the new government would be more
open to changes regarding issues on migration and asylum
law.
Due to political and socio-economic factors, Slovenia
attracted people on their way to EU, many from former
Yugoslavia. Some wished to stay in the country, while
others continued their journeys to other EU countries.
In 2008, the single biggest group of asylum seekers came
from Turkey, while collectively, the biggest groups came
from the Balkan region.
|
 |
With the independence of Kosovo, the situation in the
country improved, but was far from stable. There was
considerable fear that with independence, tensions would
arise and that many would have to leave the country -
such fears can be understood when one looks at the
multi-ethnic province of Vojvodina in the north of
Serbia. There remains some way to go before stability
and integration into EU can be achieved for these
countries in the West Balkans .
According to official governmental figures in 2008,
there were 260 people seeking asylum, a decrease on the
2007 figure of 434 - this drop is consistent with trends
observed in the last number of years.
The year saw an increase of the so called ‘Dublin II
cases’, as many asylum seekers requested asylum in
Slovenia, but later left for other EU countries. Refugee
status was granted to just 4 people in 2008; 9 people
received such status in 2007.
In December, on her first visit to the asylum house in
Ljubljana, Ms Katarina Kresal, the new minister for Home
affairs, stated she would like to raise the standards of
international protection for asylum seekers. With this
statement, one envisages the change of the asylum law (Zakon
o mednarodni zašciti), which was harmonized with the
appropriate EU directives and came into force in January
2008. The coalition of NGOs, of which JRS is a part,
will influence the debate on changing certain amendments
of this law (largely considered to be too strict).
JRS Activities
JRS’ biggest achievement of 2008,
in the European year of intercultural dialogue, was the opening
of the multi-religious ‘Room of silence’, in the Postojna
detention centre. It was the desire of many detainees to have
such a room (found during research for the 2007 EU project,
‘Administrative detention of asylum seekers and illegally
staying third country nationals in the 10 new member states of
the EU’). The room provided detainees of different religious
denominations with a place where they can pray, meditate or
simply be silent.
The project was led by the JRS Slovenia Country Director, Robin
Schweiger, along with the chief of the detention centre. The new
room was officially opened by Dr Zdenka Cebašek-Travnik, the
Human Rights Ombudsman of Slovenia, with a representative of the
Islamic and Orthodox communities, a representative of the police
headquarters and staff of the detention center present at the
opening. The occasion was also a chance to share experiences and
good practices in serving illegal migrants.
Volunteer work
Training of
Volunteers
In 2008,
JRS put much emphasis on the training of volunteers. JRS
organized four seminars for the volunteers working in the Asylum
home (Ljubljana) and in the Detention Centre (Postojna), with
seventeen volunteers completing the training programme. Besides
these seminars, the volunteers attended regular two-hour monthly
meetings to discuss issues encountered in their work. Many
volunteers availed themselves of the opportunity to meet with
the JRS social worker, in order to improve their capacities to
deal with the needs of their beneficiaries.
Visiting Detention Centre (Postojna)
JRS Slovenia visited the Detention Centre in Postojna
twice a week. The number of detainees varied, but approximately
60 people were constantly present. The main activity of JRS was
to accompany the detainees, namely, talking, socializing with
them, and playing with the children.
JRS prepared three major events for detainees during the year.
On the eve of the Slovenian Day of Culture, JRS presented
‘culture’ through the medium of a Power-point presentation, with
singing and the offering of a characteristic Slovene cake, ‘Potica’.
In May, a sports event was held, called ‘Games Without
Frontiers’, while at Christmas, a concert was held. All the
events were a great success, with detainees taking part in
singing, playing and performing.
Visiting Asylum home
(Ljubljana)
The JRS social worker and volunteers visited people
living in the Asylum home four times a week. Here they offered
psychosocial suppor, creative workshops, and cultural activities
for families, women and children. The JRS social worker helped
the children in their education. For the ‘Santa Claus
Celebration’, JRS prepared a ceremony, with gifts for 30
children - all in an attempt to ease the burden of being in the
Asylum home.
Summer holidays
This year, for the sixth time, JRS organized a one week
holiday in August for 34 women and children in Portorož. They
came from the Asylum home, with others coming from families who
have permission to remain outside the Asylum home.
Awareness raising
Throughout the year, JRS Slovenia broadcast a radio
programme on the fourth Tuesday of every month, entitled,
‘Building a more Open Society’. The programme was broadcast on
the Catholic radio station ‘Radio Ognjišce’ and focused on
refugee, migration and development issues.
Education
Computer courses
In total, JRS Slovenia organized three computer courses
for 24 participants in the computer room housed in the St.
Joseph Jesuit spiritual center in Ljubljana. Computer courses
were offered for asylum seekers and refugees as a method toward
better integration into Slovenian society.
Contact Details
Fr Robin Schweiger SJ, Country Director
Zrinjskega 9 - SI-1000 Ljubljana
Tel : +386-1 430 0058 - Fax : +386-1 430 0059
slovenia(a)jrs.net
To send an email, just replace the (a) with @.
|
