An NGO has reported an increase in violence and abuse against migrants trying to enter Hungary from Serbia. A young Moroccan man said that he had been beaten by border police who shaved a cross into his hair prior to sending him back to Serbia.
A video showing a 15-year-old refugee boy in Libya being abused by kidnappers has caused widespread alarm. It shows how abuse, torture, sexual violence and killings of migrants are rampant in the North African nation.
Twenty-seven persons who suffered abuse and torture in Libyan detention centers have found shelter in Italy and will have access to specialized medical assistance. The group was evacuated at the end of June with a humanitarian flight from Libya to Italy; approximately half are now hosted in apartments offered by Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
Tripoli's SSA security force are reportedly torturing, beating and humiliating migrants in detention facilities after intercepting their boats in the Mediterranean. The SSA indirectly draws money from funds provided by the EU as part of the bloc's efforts to stem the flow of migrants to European shores, the report added.
The UN Migration Agency (IOM) has shared its latest numbers on returns to Libya. Almost 300 migrants were returned to Libya in one week, taking the total number of returns thus far this year to more than 10,200.
UN investigators revealed once more that migrants and refugees detained in Libya face serious abuse, with women especially facing sexual violence. The report highlights how females are forced to submit to rape in exchange for food. It also mentions the discovery of "dozens" of mass graves with migrants' bodies.
Amnesty International has recorded accounts from asylum seekers "pushed" into Lithuania after being lured to Belarus under false pretenses. Some of the migrants were tortured and abused, the report said.
Authorities in Laayoune, Morocco have been subjecting sub-Saharan migrants to constant harassment, an Ivorian in the city has told InfoMigrants. He said scores of migrants are being arrested and detained every day and "danger is everywhere."
The UN refugee agency has voiced concern about a program aimed at helping refugees from Ukraine coming to the UK. It said that the "Homes for Ukraine" initiative lacks adequate checks and could lead to exploitation.
The three young African men, known as El Hiblu 3, have been on trial in Malta since 2019. They face a long list of charges including terrorism, violence and hijacking the El Hiblu. Now, as the trial continues, they have decided to speak out and tell their own stories.
On the occasion of Women's Day, various NGOs are shining a light on the issue of domestic violence among female migrant and refugee populations. One initiative in Athens highlights how it is actively helping to rescue women from abusive partners.
A report published by the Migrantes Foundation of the Italian Episcopal Conference (CEI) underscored a sharp rise in the detention of migrants in Libyan centers this year. Official centers alone were holding some 10,000 in early October, compared with about 1,100 in January, the report stated.