Enslaved. Trapped and Trafficked in Digital Black Holes: Human Trafficking Trajectories to Libya
Bamenda: Langaa (2023), xxix, 791 pp.
"Eritrean refugees are being trafficked and enslaved in Libya, where they are tortured to force relatives to pay a ransom for their release. Labelled with a digital code, they are moved along in the possession of the traffickers through a series of ‘black holes’, in which their access to digital technologies and connectivity is highly controlled. They are tortured, abused, extorted and subjected to sexual violence. Many die along the way. If they make it to the Mediterranean Sea, they risk being intercepted and returned to Libya or dying at sea. Over the period of this study (2017–21), it is conservatively estimated that at least 200,000 men, women and children have fallen victim to human trafficking for ransom in Libya, and the cumulative value of this trade for that period is estimated at over 1 billion USD. This detailed ethnographic study identifies the routes, modus operandi, organisation, and key actors involved in the human trafficking for ransom of refugees and migrants, who are desperately in need of protection." (Publisher description)
1 Human Trafficking for Ransom in Black Holes in the Digital Landscape: An Introduction, 1
2 Living in a Black Hole: Explaining Human Trafficking for Ransom in Migration, 30
3 Skin in the Game: Methodology of an Ethnographic Research with Exposure to Trauma, 70
4 Human Trafficking for Ransom: A Literature-Review, 121
5 The Past is not Past: The History and Context of Human Trafficking for Ransom in Libya, 154
6 Enslaved by their Own Government: Indefinite National Service in Eritrea, 195
7 Escaping Eritrea: The Vulnerability of Eritreans to Human Trafficking, 255
8 TRUST Works: Delivering Trauma Recovery Understanding Self-Help Therapy (TRUST) to Refugees from Eritrea, 296
9 Deceived and Exploited: Classifying the Practice as Human Trafficking, 332
10 Straight Lines in the Sahara: Mapping the Human Trafficking Routes and Hubs through Libya, 392
11 “You are the Ball – They are the Players”: The Human Traffickers of Eritreans in Libya, 451
12 Living Skeletons: The Spread of Human Trafficking for Ransom to Libya, 521
13 Hell on Earth: Conditions of Eritrean Refugees in Official Detention Centres in Libya, 570
14 “Dead-dead”: Trapped in the Human Trafficking Cycle in Libya, 627
15 “We had no Choice; it’s Part of the Journey”: A Culture of Sexual Violence in Libya, 669
16 “Gate Closed”: The Situation in Libya during COVID-19, 715
17 Active Agency, Access and Power: Social Media and Eritrean Refugees in Libya, 759
2 Living in a Black Hole: Explaining Human Trafficking for Ransom in Migration, 30
3 Skin in the Game: Methodology of an Ethnographic Research with Exposure to Trauma, 70
4 Human Trafficking for Ransom: A Literature-Review, 121
5 The Past is not Past: The History and Context of Human Trafficking for Ransom in Libya, 154
6 Enslaved by their Own Government: Indefinite National Service in Eritrea, 195
7 Escaping Eritrea: The Vulnerability of Eritreans to Human Trafficking, 255
8 TRUST Works: Delivering Trauma Recovery Understanding Self-Help Therapy (TRUST) to Refugees from Eritrea, 296
9 Deceived and Exploited: Classifying the Practice as Human Trafficking, 332
10 Straight Lines in the Sahara: Mapping the Human Trafficking Routes and Hubs through Libya, 392
11 “You are the Ball – They are the Players”: The Human Traffickers of Eritreans in Libya, 451
12 Living Skeletons: The Spread of Human Trafficking for Ransom to Libya, 521
13 Hell on Earth: Conditions of Eritrean Refugees in Official Detention Centres in Libya, 570
14 “Dead-dead”: Trapped in the Human Trafficking Cycle in Libya, 627
15 “We had no Choice; it’s Part of the Journey”: A Culture of Sexual Violence in Libya, 669
16 “Gate Closed”: The Situation in Libya during COVID-19, 715
17 Active Agency, Access and Power: Social Media and Eritrean Refugees in Libya, 759
