Sexual violence and unwanted pregnancies in migrant women

In the past year, migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East has reached unprecedented levels. In 2016, 181 405 migrants reached the shores of Italy and more than 5000 died trying to reach the southern coasts of Europe.1–3 Many migrants seek to escape war, poverty, persecution, or ill treatment in their countries of origin. However, migrants are often victims of torture and sexual violence during their journey or time in Libyan prisons. Several studies and international organisations have highlighted that migrants from sub-Saharan Africa are at a high risk of sexual victimisation and that many women are forced to pay for their migration through prostitution or are subject to brutal sexual exploitation and torture along the journey.