Libya: Human Rights

(asked on 1st December 2017) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the extent of (a) modern slavery, (b) human trafficking and (c) associated violations of human rights and equalities in Libya.


Answered by
Alistair Burt Portrait
Alistair Burt
This question was answered on 6th December 2017

The Prime Minister has made tackling modern slavery a foreign policy priority – it is a crime which generates around USD$150 billion a year in illegal profit, and a global problem which requires a global response. In September this year, the Prime Minister launched a Call to Action to End Forced Labour, Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking. The UK has committed to doubling UK aid spend in support of this objective to £150 million. Libya is a Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Human Rights Priority Country. We are following closely, and remain deeply concerned by, reports on the poor overall human rights situation in Libya, including abuses and violations against migrants in the form of modern slavery and human trafficking. At the 34th Human Rights Council in March we supported a resolution on Libya that calls on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to monitor and report on human rights violations and abuses across Libya with a view to ensuring accountability. A sustainable improvement in the human rights situation in Libya can only be achieved under the stability of a united and representative government, and we continue to work with our international partners to support UN efforts towards this goal. ​

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