comprehensive efforts to address the human rights of migrants, including through ending their arbitrary detention and improving their treatment in detention. A number of recommendations are also directed to migrants’ countries of origin including to facilitate voluntary, humanitarian and sustainable repatriation of migrants and to work on human rights and development programmes aimed at providing alternatives to irregular migration. 2. Introduction and methodology This report is published by UNSMIL in accordance with its mandate 4 , in cooperation with OHCHR. It summarizes information on the human rights situation of migrants in Libya, including on abuses and violations of international human rights law, committed in the course of 2016. The report is based on information gathered primarily in the course of the human rights monitoring activities of UNSMIL. Since its establishment in 2011, UNSMIL has carried out a number of visits to DCIM detention centres in various locations in Libya, although since 2014 the security situation has curtailed UNSMIL’s ability to carry out such visits. These challenges notwithstanding, four visits to DCIM detention centres in Tripoli and Misrata were conducted in 2016. In addition, UNSMIL and OHCHR undertook a monitoring mission to Italy, including Lampedusa, between 27 June and 1 July, visiting the Center for Identification and Expulsion in Ponte-Galeria (Rome); “hotspots” at Lampedusa, Trapani and Pozzallo; the House of Cultures Shelter (Scicili, Sicily); the ex-Casa Marconi (Palermo); and the Rainbow center for unaccompanied minors (Palermo). UNSMIL staff met with rescued migrants, Italian and European Union officials, staff from various United Nations agencies and representatives of international and national non-governmental organizations. UNSMIL interviewed over 50 individuals who described having been subjected to human rights violations and abuses during their transit through Libya. Victims included women, men and children. The majority of those interviewed were nationals of Eritrea, Nigeria, Gambia, Somalia, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Sudan, Mali, Senegal, Bangladesh and Egypt. UNSMIL also received information from a range of other sources, including media professionals, medical and humanitarian workers, and local authorities. Specific sources are often not indicated and identifying details have been removed in order to protect the safety of witnesses and survivors. Information collected from victims reflected a high level of consistency 4 The mandate of UNSMIL, renewed most recently by United Nations Security Council resolution 2291, includes the undertaking of “human rights monitoring and reporting”. The Director of the Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Division of UNSMIL is the representative of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Libya. 3