Report on the Performance of Activities of the National Preventive Mechanism for 2015 II. REFUGEE CRISIS OF 2015 1. INTRODUCTION When Hungary completed the construction of a barbed wire fence and closed all border crossings with Serbia in September 2015, the refugee routes that used to follow the so-called Balkan route, going from Greece and Macedonia to the Hungarian border, diverted to the Republic of Croatia. In the period from 16 September to 31 December 2015, a total of 555,700 refugees passed through Croatia. Based on a statistical analysis of the data for 507,215 persons, it is visible that 48.18% of them came from Syria, 29.78% from Afghanistan, 15.44% from Iraq, 2.7% from Iran and 1.32% from Pakistan. There were 53.5% of men, 17.3% of women, and 29.2% of children. During that period, a total of 24 persons filed applications for international protection in the Republic of Croatia, of which three persons were granted asylum, 14 applications were denied due to failure to fulfil the requirements, two were denied due to jurisdiction of another member state and as far as the remaining five are concerned, their procedures are still pending. On the first day, a total of 1,191 refugees entered the Republic of Croatia, and on the second day that number jumped to as many as 9,812. The system was not sufficiently prepared for such a large number of entries happening practically overnight, and the local communities, especially the competent police administrations, invested great efforts into solving the newlyarisen situation. Although transit of refugees toward the border with Hungary and Slovenia was organized within as little as 24 hours, many difficulties would have been avoided had there been better preparation for the situation that was foreseeable. Three days after the beginning of the crisis, the Camp for Temporary Accommodation of Refugees was opened in Opatovac (hereinafter: Opatovac Camp). Initial organizational problems were solved quickly and on the spot, and the opening of a Winter Transit and Reception Centre in Slavonski Brod (hereinafter: Transit Centre in SB) solved most of the problems identified by that time. Data according to the country of origin of 507,215 refugees who passed through the Republic of Croatia in 2015 Iran 2.7% Data according to gender of 507,215 refugees who passed through the Republic of Croatia in 2015 Pakistan 1.32% women 17.3% Iraq 15.44% Afghanistan 29.78% Syria 48.18% children 29.2% 36 men 53.3%