Going through the process of being granted asylum in the UK can be long, arduous and draining for people who have already been through traumatic events in their country of origin. Abdi went years without representation, having registered his asylum claim in 2021. This is when our Immigration Legal Service stepped in. This is Abdi’s story.
Abdi had left his home country of Somalia as a child in 2016 because his town was under the control of terrorist organisation, Al Shabaab. Abdi feared recruitment by the group as they had forcibly taken people he knew. After leaving Somalia, Abdi travelled through other African countries including Libya before arriving in Europe. He spent some time in mainland Europe before arriving in the UK but had no right of residence in any country.
In 2021, Abdi registered his asylum claim but was left without representation until April 2023 when Care4Calais referred him to us.
Once we took on the case, we drafted a statement and learned more about Abdi’s story in preparation for his asylum interview in May 2023. He told us that he had been trafficked, subjected to forced labour and imprisonment while in Libya and had been beaten and exploited.
We drafted Abdi’s statement, including his comments about trafficking and forced labour, and contracted the Salvation Army to make a referral to the National Referral Mechanism in May 2023.
Unfortunately, Abdi’s asylum claim was refused in July 2023, while the trafficking case was still outstanding. We lodged an appeal with the Tribunal.
We submitted further evidence regarding the trafficking, including photos of scars that Abdi had following the physical violence he was subjected to. Abdi was also displaying symptoms of trauma, so we arranged a psychological assessment in October 2023. This led to Abdi’s diagnosis of complex PTSD based on the trauma he had suffered.
Following this submission of further evidence, Abdi was recognised as a victim of trafficking and modern slavery in April 2024. This allowed him to continue to access further counselling and support through the National Referral Mechanism.
Abdi’s hearing took place in September 2024 and was allowed on asylum grounds. The judge based their decision of the evidence gathered of historic trafficking, risk of re-trafficking, risk of deterioration of mental health if he returned to Somalia, as well as the ongoing risk from Al Shabaab.
The people working with Abdi prior to his referral to BHT Sussex had not recognised the signs of trafficking, which meant a key part of his case had been left out until we took the case on. It is likely that his appeal would not have been successful without our recognition of trafficking.
We achieved an excellent outcome for Abdi who had previously been without any stability for his entire adult life thus far, since leaving Somalia in 2016. He can now look to the future with a sense of safety and security.
