Tripoli (Libya), October 13: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Tuesday expressed concern about the safety of children migrants held in detention centers in the Libyan capital Tripoli.
The safety and wellbeing of at least 1,000 women and children, including five unaccompanied children and at least 30 infants held in detention centers in Tripoli, is at immediate risk, UNICEF said in a statement.
Around 751 women and 255 children were among the thousands of migrants and asylum seekers caught up in recent mass arrests carried out by the Libyan authorities in different parts of the capital, UNICEF said.
"Migrant and refugee children in Libya continue to face grave child rights violations including arbitrary detention," said Cristina Brugiolo, acting UNICEF special representative to Libya.
UNICEF and other humanitarian actors urged Libyan authorities to protect children and prevent their separation from their parents, caregivers, and families.
UNICEF also called for the immediate release of all children in detention centers across Libya.
"UNICEF stands ready with partners to provide technical support including alternative care arrangements for the detained children," said Brugiolo.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal immigrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
Source: Xinhua
