Highlights
Between 18 – 21 December, IOM Turkey assisted 153 rescued migrants at the port of Kucukkuyu, including 25 women, 24 children and 104 men. The migrants were saved by the TCG rescue vessel and during their disembarkation, IOM provided all rescued migrants with food and clothes, including jackets, shirts and socks.
IOM Greece staff have started referring vulnerable cases to the reception centre in Athens, where all beneficiaries receive psychosocial and medical services along with the accommodation. Since the announcement of this voluntary return service, IOM has already registered almost 1,000 cases of migrants wishing to return to their country of origin.
On International Migrants Day, 18 December, IOM in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, organized awareness raising activities and focused on bringing awareness to unaccompanied children. In coordination with partners from the NGO, Open Gate/La Strada Macedonia, IOM organized the distribution of packages containing winter garments as well as information pamphlets that were given to migrant and refugee children traveling along the Western Balkans route.
As of 21 December, IOM Croatia has expanded its field presence with four additional data collectors and has established around the clock presence at the Slavonksi Brod winter reception centre since 27 December
IOM Libya, on 17 December, facilitated the safe and dignified return of 178 stranded Burkinabe migrants, including two women and two children. Some of these migrants had spent months in the migrant detention centres. Before their departure, all migrants spent the night at the Burkinabe embassy, where IOM staff provided them with food and hygiene kits.
Between 15 – 28 December, IOM Niger registered an additional 1,066 returning migrants, including 922 Nigerien returnees from Algeria. IOM provided all 922 returnees with temporary accommodation and medical screening before they were transported to their villages of origin.