Migrants in Libya Face Torture, Rape, and Forced Labour Conditions

UN Report Details Human Rights Abuses in Libya

A new report by the United Nations Human Rights Office has documented widespread human rights abuses against migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Libya. The report, titled “Business as Usual,” is based on interviews with almost 100 migrants between January 2024 and November 2025.

According to the report, migrants are being forcibly abducted and detained for extended periods until they are sold or their families pay a ransom. Those without money are often passed along, sold, or erased from the system. The report highlights that detention has become a revenue stream within an exploitative system, where survival depends on payment.

The Libyan Coast Guard, which is supported by the European Union, plays a significant role in detaining migrants at sea and returning them to Libya’s detention centers. The UN report notes that Libya is not considered a safe place for disembarkation and return.

Detainees have reported experiencing prolonged detention, torture, and inhumane treatment. An Eritrean woman was detained for six weeks at a human trafficking home in Tobruk, where she was subjected to multiple rapes. A Nigerian woman was forced into marriage as a child at the age of 15 and was later sold into prostitution.

The report emphasizes the importance of life-saving search and rescue operations for migrants at sea but urges the international community to halt returns to Libya until adequate human rights safeguards are in place.

The UN has expressed concern over the situation, with Suki Nagra, the UN Human Rights representative for Libya, describing it as “extremely dire.” The report’s findings highlight the need for urgent action to protect the human rights of migrants and refugees in Libya.

Source: Al Jazeera