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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Cooperation with experts from Norway on overcoming consequences of massacres

Belgrade, 2 June 2023

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic presided today over the session of the Working Group for Support to Youth Mental Health and Safety.

The session was also attended by a delegation of the Kingdom of Norway, which has been on a visit to Serbia since yesterday.

The Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to the Norwegian experts for their willingness to help, as well as to our experts, who took on a huge burden, since the very beginning of May and the tragedies in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school and the villages of Dubona and Malo Orasje.

Milica Milovancevic Pejcic, Vice President of the Working Group and Director of the Institute for Mental Health, informed the guests from Norway that the initiative for crisis psychosocial support for the community has been launched recently, which includes helping survivors and their families.

The Vice President of the Working Group said that psychosocial support services for children, teachers and parents in the territory of Belgrade and Smederevo are implemented in a total of 13 elementary schools, and four experts are engaged in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school on a daily basis.

She added that there are currently 57 assistants in the database, adding that a supervisory team, which is made up of the most experienced experts from Serbia, is training them.

In addition, there is an independent team of supervisors and two experts who monitor the work of supervisors, because the doctors concluded that due to the delicacy of the matter, it is extremely important to have a triple level of control.

The Working Group will continue intensive work on the ground with colleagues from Norway in the coming period, given that their experience says that one year after the massacre is the period in which it is most important to make an effort, so that the survivors can cope with all the consequences.