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Written question asked by Steve Reed (Labour) on Thursday, 30 November 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 December 2017 (named day). A holding answer was provided on Tuesday, 5 December 2017. A substantive answer was provided by Alistair Burt (Conservative) on Wednesday, 6 December 2017 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Libya: Slavery

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Libyan Government regarding recent reports of African migrants being sold at slave auctions.

Answer

Tackling forced labour, modern slavery and human trafficking is a domestic and foreign policy priority for the British Government. We share others’ disgust and concern at the recent news footage reportedly showing slave markets in Libya. We have raised our concerns about these reports with the Libyan Government, and welcome their commitment to immediately investigate these reports and to ensure those involved are brought to justice. We also support the announcement in Abidjan this week of a joint EU-AU-UN Task Force to address this dire situation, and efforts to sanction people smugglers at the UN. Our new £75m migration programme will also specifically target migrants travelling from West Africa via the Sahel to Libya, and get humanitarian support to those in desperate need. We are clear that a sustainable improvement in the human rights situation in Libya can only be achieved under the stability of a united and representative government, and continue to work with our international partners to support UN efforts towards this goal.​​

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
116727
Session
2017-19
Subjects
Africa Slavery Libya
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk