Page 112 - A Helping Hand for Refugees

high seas journey and according to estimates, one out of ten
people die during the sea journey from Libya. Those
migrants and asylum seekers who have to remain in Libya
because they cannot afford to pay smugglers to get them on
boats are vulnerable to the threat of violence, kidnapping and
arrest. These are the tens of thousands of migrant construc-
tion workers, service staff, care-givers and employees that

have found no means of escape and stay in Libya despite the
bloody conflict. Even though some make their choice to stay
and work, others are willing to leave but they receive no assis-
tance from their consulates or support from their employers.
Migrant workers have also been part of the ongoing conflict
and have been subjected to kidnappings, physical and
sexual violence. They are not only at risk of grave security

threats, but they can also find no way out of the conflict zone
or passage to a safe shelter. Almost 37,000 migrants are reg-
istered with the UNHCR's offices in Tripoli and Benghazi, and
they are living in badly destroyed areas but are unable to leave
to safer areas due to the ongoing clashes.

Internally displaced persons is another concern in Libya
as 550,000 people were displaced during the revolution: Even
if the large majority have been able to return to their homes,
some 59,425 people still face a situation of displacement
waiting for their homes to be repaired or rebuilt. They are kept

in detention centers in extremely poor conditions that are
overcrowded; food and medical assistance are inadequate,
and there is serious lack of sanitation. There are political rea-
sons for their displacement, since many were forced to desert
their towns and villages because of their perceived support
for Gaddafi and alleged crimes committed during the con-
flict; different armed groups hold them as prisoners and sub-
ject them to ill treatment and exploitation for labor.

110 A Helping Hand for Refugees