Working with traumatized refugees on the Balkan route

Abstract

In the past several years Serbia has been in the center of the so-called “Balkan route”, a pathway for refugees from the Middle East and Central Asia. In March 2016 the Balkan route was closed and this measure reduced the number of daily arrivals and prolonged the stay of refugees in Serbia. A brief overview of the current situation is given, together with some previous experiences in psychosocial programs for the displaced population during wars in former Yugoslavia and current psychosocial programs and interventions. Several short examples are presented to point out some aspects of those experiences that might have relevance to our understanding of the psychological trauma and possible ways of treatment.