In Libya For years now, human rights organizations have been drawing attention to the situation of refugees and migrants in the country. They would be thousands to be trapped, either because they are in detention or because they do not have the means to leave the country. Recently, a UN fact-finding mission on the human rights situation in Libya revealed that some migrants are even reduced to sexual slavery.
violations and abuses
Women, men and children… they would be thousands of refugees and migrants who suffer horrible violations and abuses in Libya.
They are trapped in a country ravaged by warwhere lawlessness and impunity allow criminal groups to thrive.
Most of these refugees and migrants are from sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, but they are not the only ones affected by the violence. Some Libyans are also victims.
This is revealed in its latest report on Libya, the United Nations group of experts. This group, which had already mentioned probable crimes against humanity in detention centers and against migrants, is now also talking about cases of sexual slavery.
These refugees and migrants, most of whom seek to reach Europe on fragile boats, fear for their lives and often lack a safe and legal way to leave the country.
“Irregular migration in Libya is very complex” explain to DW Tim Eaton, an analyst at the Chatham House think tank, who also points out that about “this illegal migration via the Mediterraneanthe EU’s migration policy must be closely scrutinized.”
The role of the EU
Following the measures of European governments to block the maritime routes used by migrants, more and more people are arrested and brought back to Libya where they are victims of violence that the UN considers crimes against humanity.
Crimes which for some would take place in places of detention placed under the control of the Directorate for the Fight against Illegal Migration, the Libyan Coast Guard and the Stability Support Authority, entities which have support technical, logistical and financial the European Union.
“The support provided by the EU to the Libyan Coast Guard in terms of pushbacks, interceptions, leads to violations of certain human rights. We cannot push people back to areas that are not safe, and very clearly Libyan waters are not safe for the embarkation of migrants.“explained Chaloka Beyani one of the members of the UN Fact Finding Mission on Libya.
The EU intends to clarify the situation with its Libyan partners. For its part, the UN called on the international community, and in particular the Europeans, to act so that the ordeal of the millions of migrants and Libyans victims of violence comes to an end.