The IOM office in Libya has entered into a key partnership with
three leading Libyan non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to
provide much-needed humanitarian assistance to undocumented
migrants who are currently detained for immigration law violations.

This partnership with the World Islamic Call Society (WICS), the
International Organization for Peace, Care and Relief (IOPCR) and
Al-Wafa, has allowed IOM to provide thousands of clothing items and
some 30,000 units of medical supplies  including rehydration
solutions, antibiotics, pain killers, drugs against fever and
diarrhoea as well as medical disposables such as sterile syringes,
surgical gloves and tape.

A medical examination room has been set up in one of the centres
and care is provided on a weekly basis by a doctor and a nurse from
partner NGOs.

"Our involvement with the Libyan civil society is critical to
improve the living conditions for hundreds of undocumented migrants
who are currently held in overcrowded detention centres," says
Laurence Hart, IOM's Chief of Mission. "Most of the inmates suffer
from scabies and various other illnesses but also from accumulated
stress. This is why we're doing our best to provide regular
counselling for those most in need."

To date, IOM and its partners have provided non-food and medical
assistance to around 500 migrants who are currently held in three
reception centres around the capital Tripoli.

With some 4,000 kilometres of land and 1,700 kilometres of sea
borders, Libya is both a transit and a destination country for
migrants. Irregular migrants are drawn to Libya by the demand for
unskilled labour and the strength of the local economy, and now
numbering between 1 and 1.5 million, as well as its proximity to
southern Europe.

However, since the start of joint Italian-Libyan patrols in the
Mediterranean in May this year, there has been a dramatic decrease
in the number of irregular migrants arriving on the Italian island
of Lampedusa, with centres on the island now completely empty of
migrants.

Unable to get to Europe from Libya or to return home, many are
detained and forcibly returned or remain stranded.

In response to requests from African and Asian embassies in
Tripoli, IOM has been providing voluntary return and comprehensive
reintegration assistance to irregular migrants who wish to return
home.

To date, the programme, which is co-funded by the EU and Italy,
with additional support from the United Kingdom, has helped 3,526
often destitute migrants from 25 African and Asian countries.

Migrants who require international protection are referred by
IOM to UNHCR to ensure their needs are met.

For further information, please contact:

Laurence Hart

IOM Tripoli

Tel: +218 91 383 25 96

E-mail: "mailto:lhart@iom.int" target="" title="">lhart@iom.int