On 17 February, the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) published a long report, revealing how migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Libya are subjected to ‘ruthless and systematic human rights violations and abuses, which include killings, torture, sexual violence and trafficking’. The report found that migrants are systematically separated from their families, rounded up, transferred to detention facilities without due process, and abducted by ‘criminal trafficking networks, often with ties to the Libyan authorities, and criminal networks abroad.’ In detention, migrants are routinely subjected to ‘horrific violations and abuses, including slavery, torture, ill-treatment, forced labour, forced prostitution and other forms of sexual violence, ransom, extortion, as well as the confiscation and re-sale of their belongings and identification documents.’
