A/HRC/44/42/Add.2
movement of migrants in accordance with a decision of the entity Government. 8 The
coordination body in Republika Srpska, chaired by the Police Director, is tasked with
monitoring the movement of such migrants and assisting with humanitarian transit through
the entity.
IV. Accommodation capacity and conditions at reception centres
A.
Official and temporary reception centres
23.
Migrants, including asylum seekers, in Bosnia and Herzegovina are generally
accommodated in open reception centres. There are two official reception centres for asylum
seekers and refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina, namely, the Delijaš asylum centre and the
Salakovac refugee and asylum centre.
24.
In response to the influx of migrants, five temporary reception centres were
established through funding from the European Union. The five facilities are Bira, Borići,
Miral and Sedra temporary reception centres in Una-Sana Canton and Ušivak temporary
reception centre in Sarajevo Canton. All five temporary reception centres are located in the
Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ušivak temporary reception centre has been run
jointly by Service for Foreigners’ Affairs and the International Organization for Migration
(IOM) since its inception. The other four temporary reception centres were being managed
by IOM while the takeover procedures were in progress, at the time of the visit of the Special
Rapporteur. There are established house rules at each facility. All reception centres receive
operational support from a number of United Nations agencies and civil society organizations,
providing a wide range of services, including protection service, health care, distribution of
food and non-food items, psychosocial services, provision of water, sanitation and hygiene
facilities, transportation and logistics services, legal aid, interpretation services and the
organization of educational and leisure activities. Most of those services, including
protection-related services, are project-based and subject to the availability of funding.
25.
A private security company contracted by IOM provides security services at all
temporary reception centres to ensure the safety and security of the residents. Unarmed
private security personnel are present around the clock at all facilities. IOM provides security
focal points who receive and address any complaints against security personnel with the
private security company or with the local police, if the situation warrants it. The Special
Rapporteur learned that, at the beginning of the operation of the facilities, there were reports
of abusive conduct by private security personnel. As a result, IOM ceased engagement with
nine private security officers. All personnel contracted through the private security company
receive a series of human rights training courses provided by the United Nations.
26.
The Special Rapporteur visited six reception facilities, namely, the Delijaš asylum
centre and the Bira, Borići, Miral, Sedra and Ušivak temporary reception centres. At the time
of the visit, while all the temporary facilities were running at almost their full capacities, there
were approximately 40 individuals at the Delijaš asylum centre, one of the two official
reception centres for refugees and asylum seekers, which has a maximum capacity of 154
beds. The Special Rapporteur notes that the Delijaš facility is located in a remote area close
to the border between two entities. Despite the fact that the apartments at the facility are in
good condition and that residents there are provided with basic services, such as cleaning,
transportation, primary health-care, free legal aid and psychological support services, asylum
seekers occasionally refuse to be accommodated there due to, inter alia, its remote location,
lack of Internet connection, poor telephone reception and lack of sufficient transportation
services.
27.
The Bira temporary reception centre is located in the centre of Bihać. The facility is
equipped with 1,595 beds, but the approved accommodation capacity by the local authorities
is for a maximum of 1,500 persons. At the time of the visit, the facility hosted approximately
1,300 migrants, including asylum seekers, predominately single men, and families with
children and unaccompanied or separated children. At the gate of the Bira temporary
reception centre, the Special Rapporteur witnessed a large group of migrants queuing for
8
6
See the website of the entity Government of Republika Srpska
(www.mup.vladars.net/eng/index.php?vijest=19060&vrsta=).