Brussels, 22 November 2017 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC condemns in the strongest terms the abhorrent practice of the sale of migrant workers in Libya. Recent journalistic investigations have revealed that in the absence of the rule of law, migrant workers are increasingly being sold as slaves in Libya and elsewhere.
The ITUC calls on the international community to prioritise support for a process towards political stability and security in Libya and joins the African Union call on the Libyan government to ensure all incidents are thoroughly investigated and that the perpetrators are effectively prosecuted and sanctioned and the victims and their families compensated and rehabilitated.

The resurgence of slavery in our time needs to be a wake-up call for all. The United Nations Global Compact on Migration is a timely opportunity. Only a multilateral initiative based on international solidarity and human rights law providing adequate channels for regular migration – while addressing poverty and conflict in origin countries and discrimination, racism and xenophobia in transit and upon destination – can effectively put a stop to the inhumane treatment and widespread human rights abuses against migrants and refugees in Libya and elsewhere.