The United Nations has issued a stark warning about the suffering of migrants in Libya. A new UN Human Rights Office report says migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers endure brutal conditions, including torture, rape, and forced labour. The report, titled “Business as Usual,” documents how many migrants are forcibly captured, detained for long periods, and then sold or ransomed off. The UN interviewed nearly 100 migrants between January 2024 and November 2025, inside and outside Libya. “They endure prolonged detention and are coerced through torture and inhumane treatment into paying for their release,” the report states. Libya has become a dangerous transit hub for those fleeing poverty and war in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country remains divided by ongoing conflict, and the EU’s support to the Libyan Coast Guard has led to migrants being sent back to unsafe detention centers. Suki Nagra, the UN Human Rights representative for Libya, called the situation “extremely dire” and condemned racist attacks and forced returns to Libya. The report shared harrowing testimonies, including that of an Eritrean woman detained for six weeks who said, “I wish I died. It was a journey of hell. Different men raped me many times. Girls as young as 14 were raped daily.” Another victim, Gloria from Nigeria, was forced into child marriage at 15 and pushed into prostitution. The UN stresses the need for life-saving search and rescue at sea but urges the world to stop sending migrants back to Libya until proper human rights protections are in place.