The Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nichols has thanked the Olympic medallist Sir Mo Farah for coming forward with his story of being trafficked into the UK as a young child and held in domestic servitude.
In a BBC documentary aired last week, Sir Mo revealed that at the age of eight he was brought to the UK from Somalia, given a false identity and forced to work as a domestic servant. Sir Mo’s father had been killed four years before in a civil war in Somalia. He had to do housework and childcare “if I wanted food in my mouth”, he said. He says the woman told him: “If you ever want to see your family again, don't say anything.”
Cardinal Nichols said: “I salute the courage of Sir Mo Farah in coming forward to reveal his traumatic story of being trafficked into the UK as a young child and subsequently forced into domestic servitude,” said the cardinal, president of the Santa Marta Group and chancellor of St Mary’s University.
“It was only with the considerable help of a teacher at his school that he was able to be freed and then go on to fulfil his potential as a human and an athlete, both at school and then at St Mary’s University in Twickenham.
“His story demonstrates the tragic extent of human trafficking in our midst and how vulnerable children as well as adults are targeted and victimised.” Sir Mo is one of many thousand victims of human trafficking in the UK and one of more than 40 million victims across the world.
“As president of the Santa Marta Group, the anti-trafficking charity with its mandate from Pope Francis for the Church to work together with law enforcement officials and civil society leaders in moving to abolish modern slavery, I thank Sir Mo for his brave witness. This is a crime that permeates all countries and leaves a trail of misery as innocent victims are used as a disposable commodity by unscrupulous criminals. This is an evil crime and should not be acceptable.”
Medaille Trust also praised Sir Mo Farah for his bravery in speaking out.
Chief executive Garry Smith said “Right now, right here in the UK, there are thousands of cases like Sir Mo’s. In our communities, vulnerable children are facing appalling horrors at the hands of cruel and predatory criminals. They feel there is no escape or hope. But as we hear in Mo Farah’s story it just takes someone to look, listen and act. In his case that was his PE teacher who not only helped him to be fostered by another family but also encouraged him on his athletic journey. It is this hand of hope which victims need and which when offered helps them to rise, sometimes to great heights, as we see with Mo Farah.
“At Medaille Trust we hope that Sir Mo telling his story will encourage those who are currently in domestic servitude to know that they can escape and receive support to rebuild their lives and pursue their dreams. Over the last 15 years Medaille Trust has provided refuge to thousands of trafficked victims and supported them to live independent and happier lives. We recently launched the Sr. Ann Teresa Bursary to help enable victims of trafficking and modern slavery to pursue education and training. We will continue to reach out and do all we can to offer refuge and hope to thse who seek to escape the clutches of criminals who exploit the most vulnerable in our society.”
Mark Sheard, chief executive of World Vision, which aims to tackle the root causes of trafficking, sid: “We have to remember that, although Farah’s story has a happy ending, many victims of trafficking are not so fortunate and face years of servitude while being forced to live in appalling conditions. We need to continue working tirelessly to fight child trafficking.”
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