Trauma, torture and related violence in post-conflict Libya: A mixed-methods needs assessments survey

A national survey including 2,692 interviews showed that every fifth household responded to having a family member disappeared, 11% reported having a household member arrested and 5% reported one killed. Of those arrested, 46% reported beatings, 20% positional torture or suspensions, 16% suffocation and 5% reported having suffered sexual, thermal or electrical torture.

The consequences at the level of the population are massive: 29% of individuals report anxiety and 30% report depression, while PTSD symptoms were reported by 6%. These results indicate that the respondents at the time of interview could still be in an acute or post-acute stage and have yet to reach the post-trauma stage, hence we predict that the prevalence of post-traumatic stress reactions will increase over time, if or when the  conflict subsides.

Data show that internal displacement is major concern in Libya, indicating a major source of long-term human suffering and political instability. Furthermore, our data support the allegations that widespread human rights violations and gross human rights violations have taken place in Libya. Both the short-term consequences of the conflict as well as the long-term consequences of the Gaddafi regime are in large measures still unaddressed. The study concludes that any future government of Libya faces massive challenges in alleviating human suffering and improving mental health and adressing the adverse conflict-related health impacts. However, as the internal conflict continues more and more people are affected by human rights violations aggravating mental health afflictions, straining the social fabric and the capacity of the Libyan state.