February 2016 Research Trip to Serbia (Refugee Crisis along the Balkan Route)

In February 2016, I will be traveling to Serbia, on a grant from the University of Toronto, in order to do research in to the ongoing and devastating refugee crisis along the Balkan route. Grassroots organizations are active on Serbia’s borders with Bulgaria, Hungary, Croatia, and Macedonia to assist the thousands of refugees making the hopeful and dangerous journey to the European Union. Refugees from countries such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Morocco, Eritrea, and Iran are using the Balkan route in order to enter the European Union. Unfortunately, they have little support or resources to undertake their humanitarian work with maximum efficiency.  As such, while in Serbia, I will be working with grassroots organizations in order to determine their operational structure and efficacy when delivering humanitarian aid, and how they relate to more prominent international aid organizations. My research will also incorporate a state-level analysis, where I intend to determine Serbia's relationship with the European Union and the United Nations, as a candidate country seeking accession and a more prominent role in the Balkan region. This analysis will invariably illuminate the humanitarian reality "on the ground", and will act as a forecast for how the crisis will be handled by national governments, as the refugee crisis intensifies in the coming months.

This is a crisis which demands urgent attention. Every day, refugees are continuing to flow in to Europe through the Balkan route. Their journey is dangerous and lengthy, and speaks to the desperation these people face. While political officials debate the security and humanitarian concerns associated with accepting refugees in to the European Union, it is imperative that they be immediately assisted.

If you would like to offer your insight on this topic, or provide me with additional resources and contacts, do not hesitate to contact me at: [email protected] or +1 (647) 992-5307