Sunday February 10, 2019
Canada is willing to receive about 750 victims of slavery in Libya over the coming two years, including the 150 who have already been granted asylum in the country, Minister of Immigration, Ahmed Hussen, said.
The number of immigrants crossing Libya to reach Europe has multiplied tenfold since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, according to the United Nations.Libya came under greater scrutiny after a CNN report which showed footage of African immigrants being sold as slaves near Tripoli.
“In 2017, the world was shocked by the brutal images of people sold as slaves in Libya. At that time, Canada was one of the few countries to commit itself to working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in order to receive these refugees and provide them with a new home,” Hussen said in a statement.
“So far, we have received more than 150 of them, and within two years, there will be more than 600 in Canada,” he added.Hussein declared that “Canada is also working to receive 100 refugees from Niger who have been rescued from immigration detention centres in Libya, many of whom have been victims of human trafficking,” he clarified.
The minister pointed out that some of them have already arrived to Canada.”Canadians always welcome newcomers, and this has helped to protect those fleeing persecution, terror and war,” Hussen added.