"Children in migration on the Balkan route are, in addition to other threatening circumstances, exposed to all basic types (physical, psychological, sexual) and numerous other forms of violence, in countries of origin and during travel.
This paper examines the experiences of children in migration on the Balkan route from the point of view of children's rights, where part of the research results that are part of a wider project are presented, ""Violence against children on the Balkan migration route - solutions through advocacy and research"". The project was developed in cooperation with Save the Children NWB and the Center for interdisciplinary studies of the University of Sarajevo, with the support of the Initiative for sexual violence research (SVRI). The research was conducted on the territory Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia, which are a transit zone on the way to the West Europe. The purpose of the study is a closer understanding of the characteristics of violence against children in migration in Serbia and BiH and factors that contribute to violence and/or protection of migrant children.
The research included 48 children, 10 of whom were girls, aged from 13 to 19 years. The findings indicate that children in migration are in a variety of situations and circumstances, denied numerous rights, from all three large groups: to protection from violence and exploitation, ensuring conditions for growth and development and participation.
They are often denied the right to participate in matters that concern them and are theirs point of view is rarely recognized and considered. This indicates underdeveloped mechanisms for the application of international regulations in the field of children's rights in migration and non-compliant, even opposing agendas of child rights and restrictive governance migration in the policies of the European Union."