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In the last three months of 2013, cultural mediators – representatives of migrants’ communities – in cooperation and support of IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) in Bratislava and Košice, organized several events that introduced various countries, cultures and customs and supported community life of migrants.
IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC) organized so-called One-Stop Shops – consultation days on 17 October in Bratislava and on 21 November in Košice. The complex counselling at one place was provided by the representatives of alien police department, labour offices, trade licensing office, health insurance companies, department of state citizenship and registry office, and MIC counsellors. Migrants from more than 10 countries attended the consultation days.
Last week IOM organized another workshop for employees of state institutions working with third-country nationals. Representatives from the Foreign Police Department Žilina, Labour Offices in Žilina, Liptovský Mikuláš and Martin, District Office Žilina and from the health insurance company Union participated at the workshop. They gained information from the IOM Migration Information Centre (MIC IOM) Bratislava and Košice about the changes in the Act on Residence of Foreigners and Act on Employment Services. The workshop offered space for presenting the services offered by these institutions to migrants from non-EU countries and for exchange of experience and good practice.
At the end of the year 2013, employees of IOM´s Counter-Trafficking Unit were engaged in the Shoebox Christmas project. Christmas presents were gathered and packed by volunteers and were handed to people in need throughout Slovakia. Thanks to this project, 19 IOM’s clients - either individuals or whole families - were given a gift.
The IOM Migration Information Center offers third-country nationals a free of charge courses of Slovak Language in Bratislava and Košice. The courses in Košice started on 7 January 2013 and take place every Tuesday from 17:30 - 19:00 for beginners and every Thursday from 17:30 - 19:00 for intermediate. The courses in Bratislava will start on 14 January 2014 and take place every Tuesday and Thursday from 18:30 - 20:00 for beginners and every Wednesday from 18:30 - 20:00 for intermediate. There is no need to register for the course or pass any entrance examination. You can start the lessons at any time.
More information on the Slovak language courses in Bratislava.
In November and December 2013, IOM Bratislava organized in Nitra and Trnava two more workshops for the employees of state and self-government institutions who come in their work to contact with migrants. They gained information about the amendments to the Act on Residence of Foreign Nationals and Act on Employment Services, presented services provided to migrants from third countries by their offices and exchanged experience which will help them in work with migrants.
Geneva, 17 December 2013 - The International Organization for Migration warns today that unless the international community takes decisive action to address the causes of irregular migration, more migrant lives will be lost at the hands of people smugglers and traffickers.
Observing International Migrants Day (18 December) the Organization’s Director General, William Lacy Swing noted that 2013 may have been the costliest year on record in terms of lives lost, for migrants seeking to cross international borders clandestinely.
Slovak and foreign experts from Bratislava, Brussels, London, Prague and Vienna gave a presentation at the conference entitled Migration of Qualified Workers from Third Countries: Policies and Practice which was held in Bratislava on 20 November 2013. Invited speakers introduced the recent developments and policies in international as well as European labour migration and pointed out the economic and fiscal impact of migration. They also described measures which were implemented by the European countries in order to attract qualified workers from states outside the EU.
One World Film Festival 2013 introduced a documentary film Aj my sme tu doma (We Are At Home Here) that was produced in 2013 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the film director Marcel Pázman. The film was screened fourth times at the festival and was seen by nearly 400 youths from primary and secondary schools. After each projection they held debates with IOM staff about the film, migration and migrants in Slovakia.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) offers help to migrants who can use it after their return home from Slovakia. Assistance aims to facilitate migrant’s living conditions immediately after their return to country of origin. The assistance is designed for migrants without a residence permit in Slovakia, asylum seekers and unsuccesful asylum seekers who opted for voluntary return home with IOM and registered in to the Assisted Voluntary Return and Reintegration Programme.
