EU policies contribute to extreme abuse against migrants in Libya, says migration watchdog

European Union policies contribute to a cycle of extreme abuse against migrants in Libya, Human Rights Watch said in a report on Monday.
"The EU and Italy’s support for the Libyan Coast Guard contributes significantly to the interception of migrants and asylum seekers and their subsequent detention in arbitrary, abusive detention in Libya" the migration watchdog said. s
The 70-page report, “‘No Escape from Hell’: EU Policies Contribute to Abuse of Migrants in Libya,” documents severe overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, malnutrition, and lack of adequate health care.
Human Rights Watch said it found violent abuse by guards in four official detention centres in western Libya, including beatings and whippings. It witnessed large numbers of children, including newborns, detained in grossly unsuitable conditions in three out of the four detention centres. 

“Migrants and asylum seekers detained in Libya, including children, are trapped in a nightmare, and what EU governments are doing perpetuates detention instead of getting people out of these abusive conditions,” said Judith Sunderland, associate Europe director at Human Rights Watch. “Fig-leaf efforts to improve conditions and...