Mo Farah people trafficked into the UK.

I hope that the DM investigative reporters are sensitive when they tell ‘their’ story.

My heart goes out to that 9 year old boy. He must have been so scared and worried. No mobile phones in those days. Our grandson is that same age and Mo’s story makes me feel so upset.

However.
There were adults around him who badly let him down and I don’t think we’ve been told the whole story here.

So depressing that there are so many people out there who are far more incensed about Mo lying about his family than they are about children being trafficked as servants. No empathy at all some of them.

There is of course more to this story. It’s good to see the relationship between Mo and the hero teacher endures. It will help provide stability as more is learned about Mo’s early life.

Ro60, I may have missed something but I didn’t see anything about whether Social Services had long term involvement. Mo said he told the social worker his friend’s mum was his auntie. 25 years ago, child trafficking wasn’t something agencies understood in the way they do now. It’s also common for informal family arrangements, which is what this was seen as, to be sanctioned with no need for ongoing oversight. Mo says he was happy, well cared for there. School had been proactive and in these situations, they’d re-refer to sw if needed

It raises more questions - the third Mo Farrah who went to the same school for a few months?
The person 'Mo' spoke to on the phone - apparently never been to the UK - rather reserved with his personal information.
Why did Social Services just leave him with a relative of the abuser - seemingly without following up?
Now, how many more cases will arise.

But what an amazing man & still with his lovely, supportive wife.
A hero on so many levels.

I m still unsure why he was sent here and the real Mo Farah left behind what was the reason for that ? and why?
It is a strange story indeed why him and not his twin brother ? or why not both of them ?
I thought all the explanations seemed very woolly
But he’s certainly made a brave move and seems very happy that he’s met his real family and the real Mo Farah
But I still think there’s more questions than answers

Thank goodness Mo did manage to go to school and had a year tutor and PE teacher at school who realised that all was not well with this child.
How many others are trafficked into the UK and being forced to live under the radar in misery?

He is such an asset to this country, we should all be proud and pleased that out of these sad beginnings, this country has a gained a great ambassador.

Just watched they programme on BBC about Mo Farrah....My heart broke for him....Not sure his mum in Somalia is being totally truthful with him about how he was brought to the UK......There seems to be a lot of unanswered questions for Mo...Hope he eventually finds out the full truth about his journey to the UK....

Doodlebug apparently since the press got involved the Home Office has discovered that they have got a visa for the baby after all!

Yes, Deedaa that was the sort of thing I was thinking of when I asked if he would still be fostered now under this 'hostile environment' government. It doesn't get much more callous than separating mothers and babies.

I've seen some horrible comments along the lines of "Strip him of his medals and knighthood and send him home" Unbelievable that they can blame a nine year old child for his own trafficking.

No wonder Mo was worried about how the Home Office would react to his story. I was reading about a lady stranded in the Caribbean with her baby. Her husband is back over here with their five year old but the Home Office won't allow her to bring back the baby, who was born over there during Covid. Apparently they think the mother needn't come back because the five year old has got her father with her. What risk they think a young baby poses I can't imagine.

Mokryna - A professor of medicine was not allowed to even be a volunteer hospital porter. His wife, a teacher of English, could not teach here’ . Well qualified immigrants’ talents and experience are wasted here.

I was shocked by this revelation. That poor little boy. Mo Farah has made such a success of his life and yet the harrowing tale of his childhood must have weighed heavily on his shoulders all this time. He has spoken out now and I hope that he can get some closure. Surely, only the most hard hearted of bxxxxxxs would fail to show him some compassion for his situation.

It's an absolutely incredible story. Who doesn't recognise Mo's enormous infectious smile and the enormous pride he has shown when holding the Union Jack after winning a race? Forget the phoney family histories of some of the current PM hopefuls - this is a real rags to riches tale. We must never forget that if he'd been a bit older when trafficked and it had happened now, he could very well have found himself on a plane to Rwanda. I wonder how many Mo Farahs have drowned in the Channel or been deported. Shame on the DM readers who have downvoted the story!

welbeck

there is a duty of care towards unaccompanied/exploited children, whatever their status.

That's good. I would hate to think of children being treated here like they were in Trump's time, when they were separated from their parents in camps, and apparently MF was told that his status might be at risk if he 'came clean'. What would have ben different if the truth had come out when he was a child?

I hope that this awful story opens the eyes of some of those who are determined to keep out immigrants at all costs. It's just dreadful to think of someone as upstanding and decent as Mo Farah having to keep something like this to himself for so long fear of 'the authorities'.

His story is very sad. He had an amazing ability with running and that turned his life around, but I suspect that there were many, many more children in his situation whose lives were permanently devastated.

The DM on line earlier said she refused to comment / suggesting they’d tracked her down

Oh! Well if the Daily Fail can track her down, I'd assume that the police could too and could, at the very least, establish whether she trafficked any more children into the country to be enslaved. I may be cynical but I'd doubt that poor Mo was her first or last. But this would probably be under the jurisdiction of the Met police so......

We are living in the stupidest of right wing times

Half the refugees coming here or rather trying to come here have professions Doctors solicitors nurses dentists everything we are crying out for but oh no ‘they want our houses send them to Rwanda’ it makes me so, so so angry

The DM on line earlier said she refused to comment / suggesting they’d tracked her down

It is also a testament to the teacher who recognised his talent, gained his confidence, supported him and liberated him.

If it's known where the woman who housed him and kept him in servitude is, what are the chances of her facing charges? Mo could possibly have been one of many that were treated so badly by her and she should have questions to answer.

It is welbeck. It’s also not uncommon for children from Africa to disappear from foster or residential placements

I have long admired Mo Farah. Not just his athleticism and his amazing performance on The Cube but his sincerity, his intelligence, his common sense, his calm attitude and his obvious humanity. Now, following these revelations, I admire him more than I can say.
I agree with others that those supporting the shameful Rwanda exercise must surely see that we are talking about vulnerable and desperate people, many of whom will have talent beyond imagination from the ability to fix a tap to the ability to transplant a heart.

domestic servitude is much more common than people imagine.

there is a duty of care towards unaccompanied/exploited children, whatever their status.