Written question asked by Earl of Sandwich (Crossbench) on Tuesday, 12 December 2023, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 28 December 2023. It was answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative) on Friday, 29 December 2023 on behalf of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

Libya: Human Trafficking

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what they have done during 2023 to slow the activities of traffickers in Libya who are exploiting asylum-seekers ultimately bound for the UK.

Answer: The UK is committed to supporting the UN-facilitated, Libyan-led and owned political process to secure peace, stability and prosperity in Libya. This offers the surest route to tackling challenges such as human rights violations and illegal migration. HMG has been prioritising efforts in Libya on disrupting the human trafficking business model and pursuing trafficking targets. As a result, we have successfully disrupted several human trafficking operations and arrested smugglers responsible for exploiting irregular migrants and managing broader criminal networks in Libya.

Secondary information