Sir Mo Farah praised by charities for revealing ‘unimagineable pain’ of being trafficked as a child-Rachael O'Connor-Entertainment – Metro

Sir Mo Farah has been praised for speaking about the ‘unimagineable pain’ of being trafficked into the UK as a child (Picture: PA)

UK charities have praised Sir Mo Farah’s ‘bravery’ after he revealed he was trafficked into the UK as a child.

The British sporting legend shocked the nation on Monday night when a clip was released from an upcoming documentary of Sir Mo speaking about how he was brought into the UK illegally under the name of another child.

Four-time gold Olympic medal winner Sir Mo makes the revelations in a new BBC documentary titled The Real Mo Farah, and says he was treated like a servant by the people who pretended they were his family.

He had previously said he had come to London when he was eight years old to join his father, and had spoken barely any English.

The runner said his own children – twin daughters Aisha and Amani, 10, son Hussein, seven, and stepdaughter Rihanna – had motivated him to be truthful about his past.

Sir Mo has now been commended for facing ‘unimaginable pain’ in speaking out about his story while ‘shining a light’on global issues.

The Olympic champion makes the revelation in an upcoming BBC documentary (Picture: PA)

Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said: ‘We salute Sir Mo for his bravery in speaking out about his story.

‘Like so many others he has faced unimaginable pain and by telling his story he is shining a light on global problems which require urgent and meaningful action.

‘His candid account of the circumstances which brought him to the UK shows the world that behind every statistic there is a human story which needs to be heard.’

Mr Solomon continued: ‘It is a story which sends a powerful message that rather than unworkable schemes which treat people as human cargo, there is a desperate need for safe, humane and effective routes for people seeking asylum.

‘There are thousands of children who, like Sir Mo, have had their lives torn apart by war and persecution, many of whom are then cruelly exploited by traffickers.

‘We should respond with sympathy and not further cruelty – criminalising the victim is never the answer.’

Sir Mo was brought to the UK and treated as a servant (Picture: PA)

He recognised how Sir Mo has ‘made an enormous contribution to UK life, just like thousands of others who arrive on our shores and build new lives and new connections in this country.’

Mr Enver’s comments comes after the UK government has faced backlash in recent months for controversial immigration policies that would see asylum-seekers deported to Rwanda.

Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom From Torture, said: ‘Wherever we come from, when faced with the lethal impact of war and persecution all of us would do whatever it takes to ensure our family and loved ones are safe.

‘Sir Mo’s tragic story reveals the fear and shame that our punitive immigration system forces many trafficked people to live with.

‘Survivors of human cruelty should be treated with compassion, not threatened with retribution or a one-way ticket to Rwanda.

‘Sir Mo’s brave decision to tell his story should cause us all to reflect on the harrowing reasons why people risk everything to find safety and the urgent need for an asylum system that treats people fleeing war, torture and persecution with dignity and humanity.’

It is understood the Home Office will not be taking any action against Sir Mo and he will not be deprived of his citizenship.

The department’s guidance insists it assumes a child is not complicit in gaining citizenship by deception.

It states: ‘If the person was a child at the time the fraud, false representation or concealment of material fact was perpetrated (that led to citizenship), the caseworker should assume that they were not complicit in any deception by their parent or guardian.’

The Home Office is understood not to be taking any action against the sporting hero (Picture: PA)

Speaking on his jaw-dropping documentary on Monda, Sir Mo revealed: ‘Most people know me as Mo Farah but it’s not my name or it’s not the reality.

‘The real story is I was born in Somaliland, north of Somalia, as Hussein Abdi Kahin. Despite what I’ve said in the past, my parents never lived in the UK.

‘When I was four my dad was killed in the civil war, as a family we were torn apart.

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‘I was separated from my mother, and I was brought into the UK illegally under the name of another child called Mohamed Farah.’

The Real Mo Farah will air at 6am on BBC iPlayer and 9pm on BBC One on July 13.

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