TV Features

An absence of verifiable documentation makes them virtually invisible to the state; trapped in a perpetual condition of non-existence.

A parallel city

Two years ago a letter from a BBC London viewer, opened my eyes to a "parallel city" here in London town. This was a barely believable city where a growing number of children exist in conditions no better than those of poor children in the Victorian city of Charles Dickens.

A teacher wrote that she'd been sought out by a former pupil Tunde Jaji who, at 17 years of age, had been thrown out on to the capital's streets. She was at the end of her tether; virtually ignored by police, local authority, MP, Home Office and Foreign Office.

Tunde had no papers, no evidence of who he was, no money and nowhere to live.  More catastrophically he was not British, so it was obvious he couldn't provide proof that he was allowed to be here. He only found this all out when he was turned down for a student loan to take up a University place. Tunde never thought it would be in doubt as he'd been through his entire primary and secondary education in North London schools.

At first glance Tunde did not officially exist. Of course it seems unreal. It is to all intents and purposes impossible for a child to suddenly materialise in this city without the knowledge of any adult. That is obviously just as true if you come from another continent.

Basic tools to survive

So the question I asked myself was just what kind of adult would bring a child to London and then abandon them without giving them the basic tools to survive? In the modern world these are the pieces of paper which enable individuals to define themselves, giving them an identity and a future.

Tunde Jaji & Kurt Barling

That has been a difficult question to answer. Tunde Jaji was not clear about who brought him to this country and why he should be abandoned to the black hole of non-existence.

Moreover, once he knew he had a problem because he did not officially exist, no public institution was prepared to intervene. Perhaps it's not strange that no-one in officialdom wanted to help, but perversely those who might have an interest in illegal migrants also showed no interest.

Some may see this as a blessing in disguise. Imagine those with a duty to investigate fail to do so because they don't want to hassle people in difficult circumstances. It's more likely of course that people like Tunde Jaji are not a priority and simple fall through the cracks.

Survival & luck

But falling through the cracks presents real dangers for social cohesion. These trafficked children are forced as young adults to operate in the shadows. Although not inevitable, illegality, crime and prostitution beckon. It comes down to a question of survival and luck.

It is unclear just how many children find themselves in these circumstances in London and the country at large. We simply cannot tell whether its hundreds or thousands. It is simply too easy for people to bring a child, that is not their own, into the country on false papers. Once here it appears it is too hard to ask questions which can identify whether a child is living with an appropriate adult.

You'd think after the inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie the agencies responsible for child welfare would be more alert. There is little evidence of it. Could it be that the fear of being labelled racist is stopping professionals asking legitimate questions about a child's residential status? Or is it simply that no public agency wants to take responsibility for asking these tough questions and investigating the answers?

Emerging from the shadows

After I reported Tunde's story in January 2007 a number of young women emerged from the shadows to tell me their stories. They all follow a familiar pattern. Most, but not all, of these young people appear to come from Nigeria. They are brought into the country between the ages of nine and fifteen. The child should not be too small and unfit nor too big to present a threat.

Judging from the papers I've seen, most were brought into the country illegally, housed and used by families as domestic servants, got little or no education and were jettisoned once they become adults.

The root of the problem is the dodgy paperwork which means these young people have no grounding in our society. Not only do they not exist, they have no means of proving how they came to be here and the only response of the state to date seems to be to try and get rid of them. That's if they don't ignore them altogether.

'Sarah'

You would think this would be a dead cert for the authorities to investigate. But when Sarah (not her real name) came before the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal last autumn the immigration judge complained that there had been virtually no effective investigation by any agency to determine how and why she came to be here. The only concern seemed to be to deport her.

He went further and said in his determination that; "her removal would give a strong signal to people responsible for domestic slavery and trafficking of such women to the United Kingdom (that it) is effectively condoned by the UK government."

Sarah is now 21. She has no idea what the future holds for her. She has admitted to trying to commit suicide in the past and although she has been supported by the London based group AFRUCA, you can tell she is fatigued from the struggle to survive, worn down by the adult world’s indifference.

"It's like you've wasted your life away.  All these years we haven't had the chance to step up and speak out because we had the fear in us. Now we are able to step out the help is not being given in the way we expected. To now say you're even going to send us back, which means we are going to be in a much worse situation. It's the worst situation, you're sending us back to a country that we are not familiar with, it's dangerous. They're meant to be solving the problem not adding to it."

Indefinite Leave to Remain

Tunde Jaji is lucky. I managed to track down the paperwork which proved he had been in Britain for fourteen years. A handwritten entry for September 1992 showed the date he started at his North London Primary school. He applied to the Home Office for Indefinite Leave to Remain and was granted it last year. There is a rule that after fourteen years you can automatically apply to stay in the country. 

Paperwork showing when Tunde had started school

Tunde is now at University studying for a degree in Animation and Fine Arts. He will no doubt make a contribution to Britain as he develops and finally ends up paying taxes.  He should get British citizenship some time this year.

For the vast majority of the other young people I have met however they look forward to years of uncertainty and anxiety. Eventually they face the threat of deportation to a country most have long forgotten. Some are already suffering from mental health issues, no doubt brought on by their appalling circumstances.

Speaking in the Commons

This week I'll be talking in the House of Commons about the young people I've encountered whilst trying to unravel this story since meeting Tunde Jaji in 2006.   Unlike Tunde there is little proof who they are, even though as they stand before me, they clearly must exist. 

They operate in a world of fear and paranoia, unsure whom to trust. They have been betrayed so often. Perversely many also don't want to make life difficult for the children whom they cared for. Such is their loyalty many don't want to see their former 'overseers' in jail.

Parliament cannot stand idly by when there are young people in our midst who deserve at the very least our protection. Law-makers have framed legislation to do just this, it must be time to ask why this is not happening?

Exposing the traffickers

The agencies of the state should not be allowed to ignore the plight of young people who've been dropped into the void of non-existence. There are adults among us who have brought them here and should be held responsible for this mess.

Driving these young people out of the shadows will have to start with exposing those adults who create the demand for child domestic servants and deceive themselves that they are dispensers of kindness in bringing these children to the rich world. 

They are responsible for modern day slavery.