Libya: An industry of human trafficking and torture

In the absence of any other alternative, people in need of protection who are seeking asylum in Europe are forced to rely on criminal networks to organise their passage. Sold and resold from one intermediary to another, they are particularly at risk of violence and trafficking throughout their journey, especially in Libya.

After the death of family members, Fatma left her home in Eritrea at a very young age with her mother and two sisters to settle in Khartoum, Sudan. But her mother died in Sudan shortly afterwards, and Fatma found herself forcibly married at the age of 14. Years later, she decided to go to Libya to try to join Europe in order to study and live in peace.

Read more: 

• Trading in suffering: detention, exploitation and abuse in Libya