On November 15th, a video of men appearing to be sold for $400 in Libya had many shocked. A slave auction in 2017?
How did we revert back to black lives being commodities that are being sold, used and discarded as if lacking value?
Libya is the main place of refuge for those seeking to travel to Southern Europe by sea. Many migrants come from Eritrea, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, and Somalia. The slave trade was said to have risen due to the lack of government control as well as the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. Muammar Gaddafi was a politician and a Libyan leader. In 2011, Gaddafi was captured and killed during the Battle of Sirte. After the death of Gaddafi, Libya lacked a sense of control in its government and maintaining structure throughout the country.
The lack of help from the government left many migrants and refugees without a source of survival. Many men and woman were left stranded in Libya, which left them vulnerable to being captured and sold as prostitutes or slaves. Without a rule of law across the country, human trafficking did not cease. Smugglers, who were supposed to get migrants across the seas to Europe, would capture and hold the refugees against their will. Those who survived the journey after being held by the smugglers, would then be sold as sex slaves or laborers. Does this sound familiar?
Men and women, who have traded in the last of their valuables in order to travel to Europe for a better life, are being SOLD. People are selling other people.
An estimate of 1 million migrants have been said to be trapped in Libya. This slave trade is not a new development for those who are suffering and stranded. Nine locations have been disclosed for the slave trade, including Garyan, Alzintan, Kabaw, Zuwara, Alrujban, Sabratah, Castelverde, Sabha, and Gadamis. What is being done?
Libya’s Government of National Accord has released a statement:
“Libya is a transit country for large and continuous flows of illegal immigrants. It is going through difficult times which affected its own citizens as well. It is, therefore, not fair to assume responsibility for the consequences of this immigration, which everyone unanimously agreed that addressing this phenomenon exceeds the national capacities. Therefore, we affirm again that the practical solution is to address the real reasons that drive people to leave their home countries, treat them and develop final solutions for them.“
The Nigerian government has rescued 242 stranded Nigerians from Libya as of recently and we can see the effort in helping those in danger, but in order for us to stop these slave trades, the Libyan government would need to be reformed and be reconstructed.
Source: https://www.bustle.com/p/libya-is-selling-refugees-as-slaves-the-atrocit…