 they have fled and greater access is needed to safe and legal pathways, including resettlement and family reunification, to reduce the need for dangerous journeys.
Despite many positive steps forward that have increased accountability for perpetrators of abuses against refugees and migrants, there is still not enough collective action by States and relevant agencies to cooperate and coordinate across borders and regions. As a result, many criminals continue to target and abuse refugees and migrants with impunity. More needs to be done to support survivors seeking justice and to ensure they feel safe disclosing information; and for States to cooperate in their efforts to identify perpetrators at different points along the route, share key information with relevant law enforcement agencies, and collectively hold perpetrators accountable, including through the use of sanctions and further prosecutions.
To countries along the Central Mediterranean route and donors
1. Strengthen efforts to identify and provide protection to refugee and migrant survivors of abuses, such as trafficking, exploitation, sexual and gender-based violence, and kidnapping, including in the context of COVID-19. Such efforts should include identification and mapping of existing safety networks and measures as well as the establishment of more secure safe houses and spaces with the provision of basic assistance and SGBV response services in locations where a need is identified;
2. Increase access to legal aid and map its availability for victims along the route, including for victims seeking access to justice, as well as for those who may have grounds for refugee status on the basis of their experience or fear of trafficking as per UNHCR’s International Guidelines No 7, or on account of gender-related persecution or persecution based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity, as well as those at risk of statelessness;
3. Support national justice systems to provide protection to survivors of trafficking and other abuses such as SGBV, including through witness or victim protection programmes, and by providing training for relevant authorities on safe interview techniques for people with potential mental health conditions stemming from abuses;
4. Continue to strengthen efforts by law enforcement actors, including national counter-trafficking agencies, as well as protection and community actors to coordinate and cooperate across borders as a means of tackling international networks or actors responsible for trafficking, kidnap for ransom and other abuses;
5. Together with the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights, support the work of national human rights institutions to investigate allegations of abuses by State officials, including against refugees and migrants on the move, and hold perpetrators accountable, together with other relevant State institutions;
6. Urge regional economic communities particularly the Community of West African States (ECOWAS) in West Africa and the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East and Horn of Africa to work with countries of origin to address root causes, facilitate solutions and promote capacity of Member States;
7. Work to enhance the capacity of all relevant State authorities engaging in any capacity with refugees and migrants and increase the awareness of officials regarding the rights of refugees and migrants;
8. Further enhance efforts to provide protection in the region (with support from the African Union, humanitarian partners, and donors), including through meaningful access to employment opportunities and education, with due consideration to the specific needs and diverse profiles of people with different ages, genders, and characteristics, as a means of providing viable alternatives to dangerous journeys;
9. In countries where refugees are required to remain in camps, allow greater flexibility in the issuing of movement permits from camps to avoid the need for people to travel with smugglers for temporary journeys such as to major cities;
10. In Libya, amend Law 19 of 2010, which