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Hell of Crossing: Syrian Female Migrants Recount Horror Stories of Rape and Exploitation in Libya
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Syrian women's horrifying testimonies aboard rescue ship reveal the scale of humanitarian tragedy facing female refugees in their search for safety
Documented testimonies from Syrian women aboard the rescue ship "Geo Parents" revealed systematic atrocities and violations they face during migration through Libya, in a series of violence and exploitation affecting women and children fleeing from the horrors of war.
Aya (pseudonym) recounts how she miraculously survived rape in Libya, confirming her luck was better than dozens of women and children who suffered the worst types of violations in detention centers and secret prisons.
Nima, a Syrian mother, adds horrifying details about children being forced into sexual acts in front of their families, with these crimes being video documented in sadistic displays reflecting human traffickers' brutality.
Doctors Without Borders confirms that the majority of women rescued from the sea carry within them the results of rape experienced in Libya or along migration routes, while others suffer from deep psychological trauma preventing them from revealing their suffering.
Alison West, legal advisor at the European Center for Human Rights, warns of severe risks facing migrant women and children, including rape, forced prostitution, and slavery, in addition to child recruitment into armed groups.
UN reports document systematic violations in Libyan detention centers, where migrants face torture, forced labor, and rape by guards, with women being forced into prostitution to pay smugglers' "debts."
A Libyan representative in an international organization criticizes the performance of the illegal immigration control apparatus, noting that children over 12 are treated as adults, with thousands of migrant children being denied education, pushing them toward smuggling and crime.
UNHCR statistics reveal that women constitute only 10% of sea migrants to Italy in 2023, with their numbers doubling compared to the previous year, while Syrian women represent 6% of total female migrants.
2023 records an alarming 50% increase in sea migrants, with 157,000 people reaching Italy, including a large proportion of unaccompanied minors, who make up 12% of arrivals.
UNICEF's figures shock the global conscience by documenting 11 children dying weekly in Mediterranean migration journeys, with an estimated 1,500 children dead or missing since 2018, in an ongoing humanitarian tragedy.
Jumana's testimony (40-year-old Syrian) about the good treatment she received in Libya remains a rare exception in a sea of suffering and violations documented by international and humanitarian organizations, confirming the necessity of international community action to stop these organized crimes against the most vulnerable migrant groups.
Levant-Deutsche Welle
