CRS Partners in Serbia and Montenegro

War Affected Persons' Relief and Protection Committee

The War Affected Persons' Relief and Protection Committee assists the displaced and other people affected by war in the former Yugoslavia. This group helps clients re-establish their rights in the countries they lived in before the war. In Serbia, the committee provides a wide range of legal assistance, conducts information campaigns through the media, collects applications regarding tenancy rights in Croatia, and compiles a comprehensive database on the personal and property status of displaced people.

Balkan Center for Migration and Humanitarian Activities

Established in 2003, the Balkan Center for Migration and Humanitarian Activities is a local, nongovernmental organization offering free legal aid and other humanitarian services to refugees and displaced people in Serbia and Montenegro. The vast majority of cases are related to property repossession, while the remaining cases mainly pertain to pension and status rights. The center monitors legislation and analyzes the challenges facing the displaced in the region of former Yugoslavia.

Solidarnost

Solidarnost (formerly Hocu Kuci) distributes and monitors small income-generation grants, providing training in entrepreneurship, finance, marketing, business planning, and technical assistance to refugees and displaced people. Solidarnost also provides assistance to refugees in completing documentation and provides information about conditions for return.

Božur

Božur helps protect the rights of displaced people, as well as providing direct legal, informational and humanitarian assistance up to the moment of repatriation or integration. Božur works through mobile teams who visit families, provide them with information about conditions in their place of origin, and organize "Go and See" visits. The teams also provide training and education, and offer legal assistance. Božur is committed to the belief that individuals should make their own decisions about repatriation or integration, either in Kosovo or in the area where they are displaced.

Community Resource Center in Bujanovac

The staff of the Community Resource Center in Bujanovac is comprised of Serb, Albanian and Roma individuals who work to advance peace and tolerance among parents, teachers and youth in Bujanovac.

Legal Center (Montenegro)

The Legal Center (Montenegro) began providing free legal services in Podgorica, Bar, Berane and Herceg Novi in April 2007. The center’s staff has assisted hundreds of refugees in their efforts to regain possession of apartments in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, the center works with clients to successfully prosecute perpetrators of sexual violence.

Norma

The lawyers' association, Norma, was founded in October 1998 to provide legal aid and defend human rights in Kosovo. Norma also works to promote women’s rights and gender equality.