A member of the MIGREC team participated in the IMISCOE PhD Presentation Series which was held during April, May and June 2021. This Presentation series was focused on PhD students and young researchers, with the aim to develop better presentation skills as well as learn how to critically analyze and offer feedback to the academic work of their peers. The presentation series was structured in two parts: it started with lectures for PhD candidates and young researchers on how to deliver good presentations and how to participate in the discussion; the second part consisted of young researchers and PhD students presenting their work and getting feedback from their peers and professors.
Violeta Marković, PhD candidate at the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade participated in both parts of this Presentation series. In the second part she presented her PhD proposal on June 15, 2021 as part of the Children and Migration series. Her presentation was on Child labor among unaccompanied and separated children refugees and migrants on their journey from countries of origin to the Republic of Serbia. She pointed out that the risk of children being exposed to child labour abuse is high, given that migration itself contains all those elements that are otherwise defined as risks of children being exposed to this type of abuse: poverty, irregular school attendance, parental unemployment, etc. Based on three theoretical approaches: child protection, advocacy and resilience, the objective of this research was to determine and systematize the characteristics of child labour and the experiences of unaccompanied and separated children with protection systems mandated to protect children from child labour on their journey from the country of origin to the Republic of Serbia and in Serbia. She pointed out that in order to do this, she will be using a mixed research design, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods. The data in the research will be collected in two ways – through a questionnaire with social protection professionals and focus groups and interviews with stakeholders and unaccompanied and separated children and youth. She is hoping for the research to have a wider impact on society, practice of protection of children and that new scientific knowledge will provide basis to improve the protection of children affected by child labour abuse, especially in transit countries.