Serbia continues to be one of the main transit countries in the Balkans for refugees and migrants in search of safety elsewhere in Europe. Through systematic and deliberate neglect, our patients in Serbia are barred from most basic services, such as shelter, medical services, and safe ways of travelling. Many of them reported that they had been subjected to pushbacks by state authorities at the borders. Others said they had experienced extreme levels of violence, including sexual assaults, during their journeys. In 2025, an even greater number of patients than in previous years reported being kidnapped by criminal groups while crossing forests and other dangerous terrain. Throughout the year, our teams conducted general medical consultations for people on the move across Serbia.

We sent our mobile clinic, which is coordinated from Belgrade, to informal settlements and other locations where people had gathered along the borders and further into the country, to provide general healthcare, health promotion activities, and essential relief items, such as blankets, warm clothing, footwear, and hygiene kits. We collaborated with local civil society organisations to offer care for victims of physical and psychological violence, including inhumane and degrading treatment. MSF treated people whose health had been affected by freezing winter temperatures, unsanitary living conditions, and lack of food, clean clothes, and medical care.

We continued to denounce the deadly consequences of European Union migration policies; in particular the increased securitisation and violent measures to which refugees and migrants are subjected as they attempt to seek safety or continue their journeys to other European countries. In Serbia, the effects of border externalisation became more visible in 2025, leading to a continuous increase in violence and harm.