General Chat

And we think life is hard for us? This was on our local news and in the paper...



' Bangladeshi boy found shivering in city centre -

Police are appealing for a good Samaritan to come forward who helped a teenage boy.
A Bangladeshi boy was found abandoned in Norwich on the evening Tuesday, December 16.
Between 8pm and 9pm a passer-by found him and took him to the Raj Villa restaurant on Prince of Wales Road where they spoke Bengali.
The man then left and the boy stayed at the restaurant until the owners called police on the following Wednesday afternoon to alert them.
The boy originally lived in a village in Bangladesh with his parents. It is not known if his family sold him or had to pay to get him to UK. The boy was unhurt, is safe and well and is currently in care. He doesn't speak English and he is 14 years-old, 5ft 7in with short black straight hair and is slim. He was wearing a navy blue waterproof jacket with white piping along the length of sleeves and on the left chest area of jacket there was the word SPORTS written in white. He wore dark blue jeans and black shoes.

DS Stuart Bailey said: “I'm very keen to locate and speak to the good Samaritan who helped the boy and took him to the Indian restaurant as he will have vital information about the boy's movements in Norwich. “We're very grateful for his help in ensuring the boy's welfare, but we are eager to locate him.

“We are investigating the possibility that the boy was trafficked into Norwich for purposes of domestic slavery or forced labour.
“We are also keen to hear from anyone else who saw the boy as described in the city on the afternoon and evening of Tuesday 16th December.”'


On one report it said the boy's father was dying and the mother didn't have enough money for food and medicine for all the family so had to send one child away, and that's all he is, a child, poor lad. He must be feeling so sad and alone, doesn't it break your heart?

Lizx

n

Oh god thats so sad.

How tragic for this young lad, alone, afraid and probably very homesick for his family. We always take so much for granted, can you imagine being in a place where nobody understands your voice, so nobody can comprehend the anguish and pain, bless this young man, I hope somebody can make him warm, comfy and at least a little less apprehensive XX..

Hi Liz, having read this I would like to show it to our two adopted children (18 and 15), who are making plans to go and live with their birth mother!!!!!
(Re the 15-y-o, the issue is being dealt with, but that's another story lol)
However, they wouldn't be interested because it's "someone else".

It breaks my heart that this sort of thing happens.
x

How sad Liz,
Dx

I hope the authorities are able to find that little lad a lovely home, where he will be safe, warm, fed, secure and loved.

It's at times like this that I wish I were able to take in all the little waifs and strays.

Dianne xx

Just got up for a cuppa, back to bed in a mo.

I can't imagine the homesickness and worry and sadness this lad is feeling - to be sent away, knowing his dad is dying, if that part of the story is true, and that he might never see his family again, he must be in bits. I too hope he will be well cared for, and contact will be made with his family - maybe some wealthy people from his country living here in England will help him get back home and help the family financially or something.
Bless him. Will try and keep you updated if there is more news of him.

Lizx

it`s very sad. When my daughter was doing her placement last year she was working with the Asylum Seekers and some of the tales were very sad. Some 16 year boys completely uneducated , couldn`t read or write , could only buy biscuits to eat as didn`t know what other foods were. They are often separated from their parents after they come here as the lorries they are on split the goods and they go different ways.

Further news of the lad found in Norwich.


'Slave boy rescued in Norwich

A shocking destiny of slavery and isolation was revealed by police last night after a young Bangladeshi boy was recovered from the streets of Norwich after months of confinement.

Officers lifted the lid on a culture of coercion and deception which sees young people smuggled into this country and forced into labour in homes and businesses beneath the radar of mainstream society.

The 14-year-old was described as being safe and well after being taken into the care of social services. He is thought to have been in this country for more than a year, living in just one small room and rarely allowed out in daylight. A man is believed to have brought him to the city on Tuesday and left him alone while he met somebody but never returned.

A representative of the Bangladeshi community who met the boy after the discovery said it was immediately clear he had endured a terrible ordeal. Nasar Ali said: “He was cold and shivering and wasn't well at all. We knew that something bad had happened and we needed to contact police.”

The boy could not speak a word of English and when he was discovered by a passerby he was wearing thin clothing, inappropriate for the harsh December conditions. At first he was unwilling to speak to police after his experiences of torture and brutality abroad.

Det Sgt Stuart Bailey oversees Norfolk police's investigations into people trafficking. He said that while sex trafficking could be easier to identify as brothels publicly tout victims for business, it was often difficult to detect other forms of slavery due to their backroom nature.

He added: “When we first spoke to him, he was scared and in shock. It took us some time just to build up his confidence and convince him we were there to help, rather than torture him.

“We have now been able to speak to him through a translator. He has told us his name and pointed to the rural village he is from on a map. We're taking it slowly but we are gradually establishing a picture of what happened.

“It is not clear whether his parents sold him or whether they paid for him to travel to this country. We do know that he came from an area of extreme poverty.

“What often happens in these cases is that people come here with an expectation of a better life but end up working 14 or 15 hour days for little money and sleeping on a mattress on the floor of cramped accommodation.”

A good Samaritan found the boy abandoned in the city centre on Tuesday between 8pm and 9pm. He took him to the Raj Villa restaurant in Prince of Wales Road, believing that waiters would speak his language. He stayed the night there before the police were contacted.

There are more than 500 Bangladeshis in Norwich and Mr Ali, a restaurant owner and former city councillor, said the community was shocked at the possibility the boy had been held captive as a slave.

He said: “I saw him the day after he was found and he was in a terrible state. I saw him again on Thursday with his carer and he seemed a lot better and more calm.

“The whole community is shock. You don't realise that there are some people who are forced to live in such conditions. Our thoughts are with him.”

Mr Bailey said it was impossible to estimate the true extent of the problem because it could be difficult for outsiders to distinguish between illegal workers and those in forced labour.

Some work in restaurant kitchens or in sweat shops where they would blend in with the rest of the workforce. Others - possibly including this boy -work in residential homes away from the outside world.

“We know of two other recent cases in other parts of the country where youngsters from this part of the world were found and taken into care,” Mr Bailey said. “We are working with other police forces to establish who is responsible for this.

“Because of the language barrier and lack of contact with the outside world, it can feel as though there is no escape. This is exacerbated by the fear of the unknown, for example this boy's fear of the police: he felt safer in his own community, no matter how bad the conditions.

“It is fair to say that this is common among businesses and individuals who employ illegal immigrants. People like this just don't come into the public eye very often.”

Police are appealing for the good Samaritan who found the boy to come forward. Mr Bailey said: “We're very grateful for his help in ensuring the boy's welfare, but we are eager to locate him. We are also keen to hear from anyone else who saw the boy as described in the city on Tuesday afternoon and evening.”'


Poor kid, like being back in Dickensian Britain!

Lizx

n

Detectives investigating the mystery of a Bangladeshi boy believed to have been trafficked into the country are trawling through hundreds of hours of CCTV footage to piece together evidence about his arrival in the city.

The youngster, who is thought to be about 14, was taken to the Raj Villa Indian restaurant on Tuesday night. It was believed he had spent 15 months living in one room of a house.

Officers were eager to speak to the male customer of the Prince of Wales Road restaurant who is thought to have “found” the boy, who speaks hardly any English, shivering on the city's streets.

Detective Sergeant Stuart Bailey, from Norfolk Constabulary, said: “I have spent a day with the boy, who is getting happier all the time. He has new clothes and understands now that all these people are trying to help him, not hurt him.

“We are viewing all the CCTV footage in the city and think we have all the evidence we need - but it takes time. Each camera takes three hours to download.”

The boy, whose name is not being released, was taken to the Raj Villa where the waiters spoke to him, gave him curry and rice and a safe bed for the night. When the waiters called the police the next day he was taken into care while investigations were carried out.

Det Sgt Bailey added: “The boy will be in foster care for the mid-term future. He will definitely be there over Christmas. He will stay there while legalities of his long-term future are discussed. That is an issue for Children's Services.”

Detectives from Norfolk Constabulary believe the boy was in London until Tuesday, when he was brought to the city by the unknown man. It is thought he may have been sold or brought to the country to work in a sweat shop, and it is hoped the CCTV footage will hold clues as to how and when he came to Norwich.

Det Sgt Bailey said: “We know he was found by a person in a car, but there are so many hours of footage to go through that we are unlikely to have an outcome until January.

“We are extremely grateful to the Raj Villa and the Bangladeshi community in Norwich who have really helped us.”

Raj Villa waiter Ashfaq Ahmed, 23, who looked after the boy when he was brought to the restaurant, said: “The boy was so cold at first he could hardly speak at first. He only had normal clothes on, not enough for the weather, and no coat.”

Just seen this Liz, shocking what is going on in our own country isn't it? That poor lad, but he is safe now and I hope he has a good Christmas with his Foster home. But what about the others that there obviously are? how terrible that they are probably living in fear and horrible conditions as well.

ann
Glos