A United Nations Human Rights Office report has revealed that migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Libya are being subjected to systematic abuse, including torture, rape, forced labour, and extortion. The findings, released on Tuesday, describe a “business model” in which human mobility is exploited for profit.
The report, titled “Business as Usual”, is based on interviews with nearly 100 migrants conducted between January 2024 and November 2025, both inside and outside Libya. Many detainees reported prolonged captivity in detention centres or human trafficking sites, with release often contingent upon ransom payments from family members.
Libya has become a transit point for migrants from South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa seeking passage to Europe since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. Political fragmentation and ongoing factional conflict have exacerbated the vulnerability of migrants.
UN Human Rights representative Suki Nagra described the situation as “extremely dire,” highlighting waves of racist and xenophobic attacks, as well as EU-supported repatriations that return migrants to unsafe conditions. Individual testimonies included those of a 14-year-old girl repeatedly raped in captivity and a Nigerian girl forced into child marriage and prostitution.
The UN report called on the international community to prioritise life-saving search and rescue operations at sea and to suspend returns to Libya until adequate human rights safeguards are in place.
