A new report from the United Nations has outlined extensive human rights abuses against migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees in Libya, describing a system marked by violence, exploitation, and widespread impunity.
The findings were released by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in coordination with the U.N. Support Mission in Libya. The report concluded that migrants are routinely subjected to severe mistreatment, including torture, sexual violence, forced labor, human trafficking, and in some cases murder.
According to the report, migrants are frequently detained without due process after being rounded up, abducted, or separated from family members. Many are transferred between official and unofficial detention facilities, where they face harsh conditions and often must pay ransom for release. Families are commonly pressured to send money, and in some cases detainees are forced into labor or other exploitation to repay alleged debts.
Investigators described the system as an entrenched network driven by profit, operating across various armed groups and criminal organizations with alleged links to state actors. The report characterized the situation as a normalized business model built on exploitation.
While the U.N. placed significant responsibility on Libya’s fractured political environment following the fall of longtime leader Moammar Qaddafi, it also criticized European migration policies. Officials suggested that restrictions on migration routes across the Mediterranean have contributed to migrants remaining trapped in Libya, where they are vulnerable to abuse.
Libya lacks comprehensive legal protections for refugees and has limited laws specifically targeting human trafficking. Authorities continue to criminalize irregular entry into the country, allowing armed groups and detention networks to operate with limited oversight.
The country also remains a major transit point for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea. The Mediterranean continues to be one of the world’s deadliest migration routes, with tens of thousands reported dead or missing over the past decade. Those intercepted at sea are often returned to Libyan territory, where they risk detention and exploitation.
The report noted allegations of dangerous interception tactics at sea, including excessive force. It also documented cases where migrants were abandoned in remote desert regions without adequate supplies. Extortion, bribery, and abuse were described as common experiences for migrants attempting to move through the country.
Human trafficking hubs were identified in several eastern Libyan cities, where illegal detention centers reportedly hold women and children in severe conditions. Some trafficking networks are said to operate across borders, including partnerships with groups in Sudan.
Victims have reportedly been forced into prostitution, domestic servitude, and other forms of labor. Ransom demands vary widely, with some families asked to pay thousands of dollars. Survivors described physical and sexual abuse used to pressure relatives into payment.
The report also found that migrants living outside detention facilities remain at risk of arbitrary arrest and mistreatment by authorities. Accountability for abuses remains limited, with only a small number of investigations or prosecutions reported.
U.N. officials concluded that Libya’s migration policies, combined with political instability and discrimination against migrants, are sustaining the crisis. They called for stronger international engagement and oversight, particularly from countries working with Libyan authorities on migration enforcement.
