‘Journey to hell’
Based on interviews with nearly 100 migrants, asylum seekers and refugees from 16 countries in Africa, the Middle East and South Asia, the report details harrowing accounts of kidnappings, arbitrary detentions and extreme abuses.
“I wish he died. it was a trip to hell”said an Eritrean woman detained for six weeks in a trafficking house in Tobruk, eastern Libya.
She described being repeatedly raped by several men and witnessing the abuse of girls as young as 14. She was released only after her family paid a ransom.
Another Eritrean woman told how traffickers mutilated and raped her and a friend, who later died from her injuries. Others described being held in hangars where armed men raped, tortured and beat detainees in front of others.
Widespread abuse and exploitation
According to the results, migrants are detained by criminal networks – often with links to the Libyan authorities – and transferred to detention centers without due process.
Many suffer slavery, forced labor, forced prostitution, extortion, and confiscation and resale of their belongings and identity documents.
Interceptions of migrants at sea by Libyan actors are frequently violent and dangerous, involving excessive force and reckless maneuvers. Those captured are returned to Libya, where they face new cycles of abuse.
‘Endless Nightmare’
“There are no words to describe the endless nightmare these people are forced into, only to feed the growing greed of traffickers and those in power who benefit from a system of exploitation.”said the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk.
“This abusive ‘business model’ It takes advantage of individuals in situations of greater vulnerability.and detention centers serve as breeding grounds for serious human rights violations,” added the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya, Hanna Tetteh.
Call to action
The two senior officials stressed the need to conduct search and rescue operations at sea to save lives and called on the European Union and other international partners to suspend interceptions and returns to Libya until strong human rights safeguards are established.
“The suffering of migrants and refugees in Libya must end,” Türk said.
“Protecting their rights and dignity is not optional: it is an obligation under international law.”