British athlete Mo Farah, Olympic medalist, reveals in a documentary broadcast on Tuesday July 12 on the BBC that he was the victim of child trafficking, illegally brought to the United Kingdom and then exploited by a family. The athlete’s speech raised hopes among the associations.
With our correspondent in London, Emily Wine
British athlete Mo Farah reveals in a documentary broadcast Tuesday July 12 on the BBC that he was trafficked as a child. Kidnapped in Djibouti then illegally brought to UK, not even his name is his real name. ” You know me as Mo Farah, but that’s not my real name… », declares the Olympic champion in the documentary.
” My parents never lived in the UK, pursues the athlete. When I was four years old, my father was killed in the civil war. I was separated from my mother and brought to the UK illegally, under the name of another child. I was a jack of all trades. If I wanted to be able to eat, I had to take care of the children, wash them, feed them, do the housework. They said to me: if you want to see your family again, don’t say anything. »
The president of the association Protect every child from trafficking considers the story of Mo Salah both shocking and familiar. He blames a hostile and complex asylum system, reinforced by the recent offshoring partnership in Rwanda.
Break the taboo
Associations helping victims of human trafficking hope that the speech of Mo Farah, Hussein Abdi Kahin in reality, will help break the taboo and allow better care. Nearly 5,500 people are identified in the UK as having been trafficked, half of them from Somaliland, like the athlete.
But the NGOs explain that the fear of being deported, because they entered illegally and the fact of not having papers, prevent the survivors from testifying. The fear also of not being believed. For the NGOs, it is essential that the authorities adopt a more trust-based approach towards the alleged victims.
The UK Home Office has promised that Mo Farah will not be prosecuted – he was a minor and cannot be found complicit in acquiring his citizenship on false grounds.