'Was trafficked into UK at age 9,' reveals Mo Farah
In a shocking confession, Olympic champion Sir Mo Farah revealed that he was trafficked into the UK when he was just a nine-year-old. During the filming of a BBC documentary The Real Mo Farah, the four-time Olympic champion also revealed that he was given the name of another child and was forced into domestic servitude. Here's what Farah spoke about his past.
Farah was given his name by an unknown woman
Farah previously said he came to the UK from Somalia with his parents as a refugee. But in reality, he was trafficked from Djibouti by an unknown woman and was given the name Mohamed Farah by her. His real name is Hussein Abdi Kahin. "For years I just kept blocking it out, but you can only block it out for so long," he said.
Here's a glimpse into Farah's BBC documentary
He was deceived while being trafficked to Europe
"When I was four my dad was killed in the civil war," Farah told BBC. The unknown woman who trafficked Farah to Europe lied to him and said that he was being taken to his relatives, something he was "excited" about since he had never been on a plane. He was given a fake passport along with a fake name.
Athlete's contacts were ripped up, thrown into bin
After Farah arrived in the UK, the picture was different from what he was promised. "I had all the contact details for my relative and once we got to her house, the lady took it off me and right in front of me ripped them up and put it in the bin, and at that moment I knew I was in trouble," he expressed.
Farah's family helped him to speak up about the truth
Farah recalled he had to work to get food and often locked himself up in the bathroom and cried. "I've been keeping it for so long, it's been difficult because you don't want to face it and often my kids ask questions, 'Dad, how come this?' And you've always got an answer for everything, but you haven't got an answer for that," he said.
Irrespective of everything, he turned things around for himself
The athlete's PE teacher, Alan Watkinson said, "The only language he seemed to understand was the language of PE and sport." As for Farah, sports was his escape from everything. "The only thing I could do to get away from this [living situation] was to get out and run." "What really saved me, what made me different, was that I could run," he added.
He met the real Mohamed Farah, chose to keep name
Farah was often worried about his immigration. Thankfully, his coming forward and confessing to the authorities that "This is not my name," significantly reduced the risk of his nationality being taken away by the Home Office. The documentary reportedly concluded with Farah speaking to the person whose identity he was given. He also affirmed he would be keeping the name that he was given.
