African Migrants are being sold as slaves in Libyan prisons.

Africans have been fleeing their homeland to go to Europe for the chance of a better life for many years now and this has opened up new routes for criminal enterprises such as slavery which is hugely prominent in Africa.

Most migrants were coming from Western African countries such as Nigeria, Mali and Guinea, these refugee’s were hoping to find refuge in Europe but instead they are being detained and being held in Libiyan prisons where they are later sold off as slaves.

Migrant are being held as soon as they get to Libya where they are held in detention centre’s most migrants who are detained in prison are being constantly abused ; When men refuse to work for free they get beaten and  many people died from the relentless beatings.

This type of enslavement has been happening for years now and the Libiyan government do not seem to be bothered by it.

Reports even suggest that refugees are being sold by the police and forced to work for free. The number of migrant being held in Gharyan prisons are ever increasing.

Survivors from the hell hole have said the living conditions of the prison was poor and they could not eat or drink, the only drinking water available was from the toilet. People weren’t able to shower and they were locked in small rooms with up to 60 people.

Libya is the main transit point for refugee’s to reach Europe by sea and is the reason as to why many migrants take this dangerous crossing.

Libya is currently facing a rough period at the moment since the death of colonel Muamar Gadaffi since then the country have not been able to be stable and is in a state of civil war reason why the government have not been talking about the slavery situation currently happening there.

“It’s a total extortion machine,” Lenard Doyle, Director of Media and Communications for the IOM in Geneva tells TIME.

Some migrants were lucky enough and have been shipped back to their country however that is not the case for everyone, most of them will never see their families again.

The Libyan government still have not commented on the situation and we doubt they will with no head of government, the country is still in turmoil eight years after the death of its dictator.