Readmission in Serbia - Huge Challenges, Weak Opportunities

Abstract

The challenges that returnees have faced upon their readmission to Serbia are manifold. They include a lack of personal documents necessary for their stay, which affects their social rights; lack of almost any kind of accommodation and legal employment, and difficulties experienced by their children in adapting to school life. The majority of returnees are Roma, which causes problems with social inclusion. This chapter starts by considering the various welfare sectors in the provision of services and benefits, and the potential creation of partnerships among them. It reviews the national documents related to readmission, as well as quantitative and qualitative data on returnees, and analyses the key stakeholders and their tasks in supporting the reintegration of returnees. It concludes that there are many significant gaps in the inclusion of returnees, and that the potential of partnership relations between the sectors has not been exploited in the best way.