Join US

A community built by those who have lived what we confront.

Joining Refugees in Libya does not simply mean volunteering for an organisation. It means becoming part of a refugee-led community built by people whose lives have been shaped by displacement, migration, borders, detention, racial violence and the struggle to survive.

Membership in Refugees in Libya is therefore centred on people with lived experience of passing through Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria or Morocco, as well as Black Africans who reached Europe through other migration routes shaped by the same systems of racialised exclusion and border violence.

This policy is not intended to separate us from others. It protects the identity, independence and authenticity of a movement created by people who have too often been spoken for, represented by others or invited only to recount their suffering. Refugees in Libya must remain a space in which those directly affected lead, decide, organise and build together.

More Than Sharing Your Story

We do not ask people with lived experience to join us only as witnesses to what happened to them.

Every person carries knowledge, abilities, ideas and ambitions that extend far beyond their experience of displacement. Our members are organisers, researchers, writers, campaigners, artists, lawyers, investigators, caregivers, communicators, political thinkers and community leaders.

Some join with professional expertise. Others develop their skills through the collective. What matters is the willingness to contribute, learn and help build Refugees in Libya as an authentic community seeking:

equality and human dignity;
freedom of movement and the right to seek asylum;
an end to the enslavement, detention and exploitation of Black Africans;
justice and accountability for crimes committed against us and our communities;
protection for people facing violence along migration routes;
political systems in which refugees participate as decision-makers, not merely as subjects of policy.

Our experiences brought many of us together, but they do not define the limits of what we can become.

How You Can Contribute

Building this movement requires many forms of knowledge, labour and imagination. You may contribute through:

Law and accountability

Supporting strategic litigation, legal research, case documentation and efforts to hold states, institutions, militias and other perpetrators accountable.

Policy and research

Writing policy briefs, submissions, reports and analysis grounded in the knowledge and priorities of affected communities.

This list is not exhaustive. A movement grows through the different abilities its members bring to it.

Media and communications

Supporting social media, visual storytelling, photography, film, design, press engagement and multilingual communication.

Investigations and documentation

Investigating state-sponsored and organised human trafficking, detention, interception at sea, forced return, exploitation and other abuses affecting refugees and migrants.

Gender justice and community care

Contributing expertise in gender-based violence, psychological support, trauma-informed care, therapy, peer support and community protection.

Campaigning and political advocacy

Developing campaigns, engaging policymakers, lobbying institutions, organising public actions and helping transform lived realities into political demands.

Writing, storytelling and public speaking

Sharing ideas through testimony, literature, journalism, poetry, motivational speaking, public events and other forms of communication.

Mobilisation and solidarity

Joining protests, demonstrations, public actions, community meetings and collective organising across borders.

Who Can Join Refugees in Libya?

You may apply to join Refugees in Libya if you have lived experience as:

a refugee, asylum seeker or migrant who passed through Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria or Morocco;
a Black African who reached Europe through another migration route and has been affected by racialised migration and border systems;
a person directly connected to the communities and struggles from which Refugees in Libya emerged.

You do not need a university degree, professional title or established public profile. Lived knowledge,

community commitment and the desire to contribute are themselves valuable forms of expertise.

Joining also carries responsibility. Members are expected to respect the dignity, privacy and safety of others; reject exploitation and discrimination; protect sensitive information; and uphold the collective principles of Refugees in Libya.

For Allies: Join the Alliance with Refugees in Libya

People without this lived experience remain essential to the struggle.

Allies in Europe and around the world can participate through the Alliance with Refugees in Libya, a wider collective of individuals, organisations, researchers, lawyers, activists, artists, trade unionists, journalists and community groups working alongside us.

The Alliance creates a space for solidarity without displacing refugee leadership. Allies can contribute skills, resources, networks and political support while respecting the autonomy, knowledge and decisions of those directly affected.

Solidarity does not require speaking on our behalf. It means standing with us, opening spaces, sharing responsibility and helping confront the systems that deny our people equality, protection and freedom.

Build This Movement With Us

Refugees in Libya was not created so that survivors could remain permanently confined to the role of victims or witnesses. It was created so that we could organise, lead, investigate, challenge power and build a different future together.

This work needs people prepared to bring their experience, knowledge, skills and convictions into a shared struggle.