Heard and strong: Halimot’s story
Halimot was just nine years old when she was trafficked from Africa to Europe. Her dad had died, leaving the rest of the family vulnerable. Halimot was sold to a trafficker by a relative.
From the age of nine to 15, Halimot was made to work on the streets of a busy European city. She suffered violence as well as sexual and other abuse, but was told no-one would believe her story if she tried to get help, and that she’d be in worse trouble.
One day, when she was 15, Halimot heard a man known as the boss talking on the phone. He was speaking about moving people to the UK.
Halimot told a girl she’d made friends with that she may be about to go to London, and her friend told her mum. The family were too afraid to try and help Halimot themselves, but the mum reached out. ‘She told me she knew someone in the UK who could help me escape,’ says Halimot. ‘She gave me a phone number on a piece of paper.’
When Halimot was being moved to the UK, she put the phone number in a plastic bag and hid it inside her body so no-one would find it. From the airport, Halimot was taken to King’s Cross Station, and that’s when she decided to run.
“It was December and so cold, but I just ran and kept on running. The woman guarding me was too heavy to catch me.”
Turned away
Halimot begged for some coins and found a payphone to call the number she’d been hiding. A woman answered and agreed to meet Halimot, but the outcome was not as she’d hoped. ‘She was furious and said the trafficker would track her down if she helped me,’ says Halimot. ‘She let me stay in her house for two days, then I had to leave.’
For Halimot, this experience only confirmed what she’d been told so many times before – that she was not worthy of being helped, that she was to blame for what she’d been though, and that she could trust no-one.
Halimot spent the next few years trying to hide from her traffickers and the authorities she was afraid of. She slept in churches, mosques, wherever she could.
When Halimot fell pregnant, she reluctantly went to a GP. She had scars all over her body and her mental health was in a bad way; she had attempted suicide more than once.
‘The doctor said to me, “You know we are here to help…,” and I just started crying. I got really angry at myself because I wanted to control my tears. I was trying to fight the tears, but I think I just needed to let it out.’
Halimot found the courage to tell her story again, and this time there was a different outcome. The GP made sure Halimot got the help she needed, and eventually she was referred to Ella’s.
Fresh starts and new skills
We helped Halimot access financial assistance and find somewhere safe to live, and to secure the mental health support she needed to recover.
‘I’d never expected people to help me like Ella’s helped me,’ says Halimot.
‘These angels are amazing, they never get tired of listening to me and are always ready to help.’
We helped Halimot start a course at the brilliant Luminary Bakery, a London-based organisation running cafes and training to help women at risk.
Halimot completed a six-month course where she learnt about baking and business management.
Her confidence grew, and in 2016 Halimot started her own cake-making venture called Haliberry Cakes.
Today, Halimot (pictured right in 2020) is running her business from home and is in a positive relationship. She has four wonderful sons who are happy and healthy.
We’re still in close contact with Halimot, and are there for her when she needs advice. But she is now standing on her own two feet, strong in the knowledge that she is worthy of being heard and believed, and of being helped, and of being loved.
If you can, please donate to support our work with women like Halimot. Ella’s’ work is long-term and intensive, and every gift helps.
Photos: Halimot with Meghan Markle at a Luminary Bakery event pre covid; and one of Halimot’s brilliant cakes.