LONDON: Europe has failed to note and act on the plight of thousands of migrants in Libya who are being held in 鈥渄eplorable conditions鈥� and often under arbitrary detention, an international NGO chief has said.

Federico Soda, chief of mission for the International Organization for Migration鈥檚 presence in Libya, said too little is being done to have an effect on the country鈥檚 鈥渆nvironment of arbitrary detention and deplorable conditions鈥� for migrants.

鈥淢ost member states are silent on these issues in Libya,鈥� Soda told reporters in Brussels. 鈥淥n a number of issues in the country, we (the IOM) are the only voice. That鈥檚 problematic. What concerns me is kind of the acquiescence.鈥�

He described the attitude prevalent in Europe as: 鈥溾€業t鈥檚 not a problem on our shore, so let鈥檚 just keep it there鈥�.鈥�

Soda said the international community should dish out 鈥渕ore condemnation鈥� and demand 鈥渕ore calls for law and order for investigations鈥� into the situation in Libya.

A recent IOM report found that a record 32,425 people were returned to Libya after trying to travel to Europe last year.

The majority were intercepted or rescued from the often unsafe small boats they travel in across the Mediterranean Sea.

Soda said the issue is society-wide, with multiple groups guilty of allowing the crisis to continue.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not about elected people; I think the whole of the community has a responsibility here, because when societies becomes as polarized as we鈥檝e been on migration issues, I think we all have to look in the mirror and maybe put ourselves in the shoes and the conditions of where these people are coming from,鈥� he added.