Number of asylum-seekers in Serbia quadrupled in two years

Number of asylum-seekers in Serbia quadrupled in two years

Presenting the UNHCR's study on psychological characteristics of asylum-seekers in Serbia, Krum-Hansen noted that in 2015 there were more than 59 million displaced people worldwide, which is unprecedented in recent history.

The study has shown that 89 percent of persons seeking asylum in Serbia suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, 67 percent suffer from anxiety and 77 percent from depression.

According to psychologist Jelena Dobric, commissioned by the UNHCR to conduct the research, most asylum-seekers come from Syria, Somalia and Afghanistan, followed by Eritrea, Sudan and Algeria.

Their average age is 27 and as for religion, 94 percent of them are Muslim, Dobric added.

“The study indicates that 58 percent of asylum-seekers were exposed to some form of trafficking in human beings,” Dobric pointed out.