After his father forced him to beg on the streets in Albania at 11, Samet was trafficked to Belgium and then smuggled to Britain in a lorry at 15. He was looked after in Bristol and as he approached adulthood his asylum claim was rejected. When Mo Farah revealed the horrors of his child trafficking from Djibouti to Britain in a BBC documentary this week, the Home Office was quick to say “no action” would be taken on his path to citizenship. But survivors of child trafficking who are currently fighting to stay in Britain say the Home Office is usually much more hostile. Once Samet was placed with a foster family in Bristol, he began to thrive and showed signs of being a talented carpenter in college. Now 20, he has been stuck in limbo since his first asylum claim was rejected in 2019. He is now awaiting the outcome of his second asylum appeal and application, while the petition to remain in Britain has more than 427,000 signatures. Samet suffers from PTSD and his adoptive father, John Stokes, 68, watched his mental health decline while he waited, unable to work or study because of his immigration status. “It’s a bit like he’s been put in the freezer,” Stokes said. “His life has stopped. The hope he had is long gone.” Samet’s experience was very different from that of his older foster brother, Ali, a promising chef who was also trafficked from Albania. He was granted asylum after the approval of a Michelin star chef. Stokes believes the Home Office is prioritizing exceptional cases, leaving many victims to suffer. “If Mo Farah had not been successful, I have no doubt they would have considered his deportation,” he said. “Most of these young people don’t want to be Mo Farahs or top chefs, they just want to be able to work hard and have a life.” Only 2% of child trafficking victims are granted the discretionary residence permit to which they are entitled under international law. Instead, many are on temporary visas until shortly before their 18th birthday, when they are then pushed into the asylum system and face refusal and lengthy appeals or deportation. Of all people over 18 trafficked to the UK as unaccompanied children, 35% were initially refused asylum in 2020, leaving them stranded. Patricia Durr, chief executive of the charity Ecpat UK, said the situation meant many child traffickers “live in fear of approaching their 18th birthday”. He added: “The current system is very hostile to trafficked children who are subject to immigration control. The Home Office’s response to Sir Mo shows an understanding and empathy towards trafficked children that we wish was extended to all children.” Ecpat is one of several anti-trafficking organizations that drafted a joint letter on Thursday calling for better outcomes for victims. Applauding Farah for his bravery, they pointed out that under the current system, “many victims of trafficking, including those who were trafficked as children, will find themselves incredibly vulnerable, at risk of immigration detention, removal or imprisonment in the hands of authorities who must be proactive in the offer of protection”. Yasmin*, 27, was three when she was trafficked from Somalia to the UK by family. She was placed with a relative in London, where she was abused for the next decade, culminating in a gang-rape by a group of Somali men aged 13. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST She said she was beaten and treated “like a housemaid” and never felt properly part of the family. After the rape, she was taken into care and assessed by the authorities as a victim of trafficking. Despite being deemed a high risk of re-trafficking if she returned to Somalia, she had several applications for permission to be rejected as a teenager. She is still struggling with her immigration status. “I have to renew it every two years. My life is still on hold and I have never met my real mom and dad in Somalia because I can’t travel. “I got back in touch with them aged 21 when I left care. One of the first things my mom said is, “I’m so glad you’re alive.” In care, he was often moved to different locations, which compounded the trauma and lack of safety. She plans to take legal action against two of the councils which she says failed to properly protect her. “I’m glad Mo came out,” he said. “I think more people will speak up now that he has. But it’s not so easy for people who don’t have the money and prestige to talk about marketing issues.” The Home Office said it will always assume a child is not complicit in obtaining citizenship by deception and will not treat ordinary cases like Farah’s any differently. A spokesman said it was “misleading” to focus on any one migration route for child traffickers. “We have helped thousands of children in this situation to rebuild their lives here and in 2021 alone, 90% of UASCs have been granted leave – where the vast majority of these children will have their application considered.” But Yasmin wants child victims like her and Farah to be better protected. “The whole system needs to be overhauled,” he said. “I felt like I was a lonely sheep surrounded by wolves.”
- The name has been changed
