Four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah says he was illegally brought to the U.K. as a young boy and forced to care for other children before he escaped a life of servitude through running.
Farah was granted U.K. citizenship in 2000 and represented Britain at three straight Summer Olympics starting in 2008. He captured hearts in Britain and elsewhere with the look of joy and astonishment after his triumph in the 5,000 meters at the 2012 London Games after earlier winning the 10,000-meter title. He won the same races at the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.Farah previously said he had moved to Britain with his parents as a refugee from Somalia.
“I still missed my real family, but from that moment everything got better,” Farah said. “I felt like a lot of stuff was lifted off my shoulders, and I felt like me.” In 2020, more than 10,000 people were referred to authorities in Britain as potential victims of modern slavery, up from 2,340 in 2014, according to the Home Office, the government agency responsible for border enforcement.
But modern slavery doesn't only affect migrants. Nongovernmental organizations are at pains to insist that victims of modern slavery are forced into servitude bound by coercion and violence rather than shackles. Such organizations have often found it difficult to put a human face on the crime, fearing that exposure will inflict further trauma. That alone makes Farah's case unique.
Britain’s Home Office said no action would be taken against Farah — and not just because he is a prominent athlete.
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