Planning and Preparedness: UNHCR and UNICEF are setting up twenty Child and Family Support Hubs along the transit route, which will provide a safe space for children and their families. UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, Volker Türk, highlighted that “the hubs will play a key role in identifying unaccompanied children and providing the protection they need in an unfamiliar environment.”
Arrivals and Departures: In Greece, according to the Alternate Minister of Migration Policy, 22,000 refugees and migrants are present in-country. The government is considering declaring a state of emergency if the situation continues.
Since 5 September 2015 more than 800,000 people have transited Austria. In the same period, some 55,000 asylum applications were recorded.
Situation at Border Crossings: In Serbia, 456 instances of refugees and migrants not being permitted to trains to Croatia occurred. 199 people were not permitted to enter Serbia from the former Yugoslav Republic1st Page of Macedonia. In Croatia, some 270 people were returned from Slovenia according to the Croatian Red Cross. Similarly, 17 people were returned from Austria to Slovenia.
Condition of People: In Slovenia, 130 people, mostly of Afghan, Iraqi and Syrian nationality, are currently staying at the Vrhnika centre. 30% are male, 24% female and 46% children. According to the Police, they are in the process to be returned to Croatia.
In Hungary, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister, György Bakondi, stated, in a press conference, that the Government stands ready to seal its “green” border with Romania, should refugees and migrants start using new routes to enter the country.
According to Reuters, EU officials fear the potential of human smuggling to increase from Egypt to Europe as security in Libya worsened. Officials declined to comment.
Deaths at Sea: None reported.