UN warns women, child migrants unsafe in Libya
Libya is a major departure point for people seeking to irregularly reach Europe, and the journey can be deadly.
Women and children migrants in Libyan detention centers are at risk following recent mass arrests, the United Nations’ body for children, UNICEF, warned Tuesday night.
Approximately 751 women and 255 children were among the thousands of migrants and asylum seekers detained in Libya recently. There are also five unaccompanied children and at least 30 infants being held in poor conditions at the detention centers in the capital, Tripoli, according to UNICEF.
“Children are held under devastating and inhumane conditions in these detention centers,” said UNICEF’s acting Libya representative, Cristina Brugiolo, in a statement sent to media. “We can assume the actual number of children held may be much higher, as many boys are reportedly placed in cells with adult males.”
One reason the conditions are so bad is that detention centers are well over their capacity. Libya’s largest of such centers, Al Mabani, is currently holding more than 5,000 people, which is four times its official capacity. UNICEF reiterated calls for all children to be released from detention centers in Libya, per the statement.
