Migrants arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina in larger numbers and stay shorter

The IOM organisation and local authorities provide care for irregular migrants accommodated in four reception centres in BiH, and currently an estimated 1,400 are staying in them, before they continue moving to western countries.

Their stay in BiH lasts approximately a month, with smugglers and migrant traffickers organising their further travel to West Europe.

IOM says that all that is worrisome as smugglers and traffickers make use of the weaknesses of illegal migrants. It warns also about exploitation, abuse and other forms of mistreatment.

Three-fourths of migrants have more than one unsuccessful attempt to cross in Croatia

As many as 74% of the migrants interviewed by IOM staffers have said that they have already tried to cross into Croatia but have been prevented. As many as 71% say they have encountered law enforcement authorities who have prevented them from entering Croatia

All of those migrants use social networks and platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Viber to organise their migrations into Western Europe.

Most of them come from Syria, Afghanistan, Morocco, Nepal and Pakistan, and plan to move to Germany, France or Italy.

IOM has made suggestions to Bosnia and Herzegovina's authorities to think about employing some of those migrants as this European country is already experiencing workforce shortages.