Home Office recognizes Al-Fayed abuse survivors as trafficking victims

The Home Office has formally recognised at least five survivors of Mohamed Al-Fayed's abuse as victims of human trafficking, a development that expands the scope of the investigation into the late Harrods owner's crimes. The decision marks a shift from treating the case as a series of individual sexual assaults to acknowledging a wider trafficking operation.

Rachel Lowe, who has chosen to waive her anonymity, was the first woman known to receive the update from the Home Office. She told 5 News that the recognition was a crucial step because it confirmed what many survivors had been saying for two years: that this was not just one man committing offences, but a trafficking organisation that had been set up.

Lowe explained the practical difference: a rape and serious sexual assault (RAZO) investigation keeps the focus narrow, mainly on the offenders. A trafficking investigation, she said, opens up the inquiry to include the lawyers, the human resources department that recruited the women, the security forces that surveyed and threatened them, the pilots who flew them on private airplanes, the accounting staff who covered up the financing, and even officers within the Metropolitan Police who helped cover it up.

The Met Police said the overall investigation is one of the largest and most complex it is currently undertaking. Six suspects have so far been interviewed under caution, and where there are indications of human trafficking and the victims consent, those cases are referred to the Home Office.

Lowe described the pattern of abuse: young women were recruited at Harrods for largely non-existent positions and were moved from different locations, either within Harrods domestically or internationally, for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Mohamed Al-Fayed died before facing criminal charges.

Lowe said the official recognition feels incomplete, calling it only the first step. She noted that the authorities had not recognised the women as trafficking victims from the beginning, despite her having written to them on multiple occasions and stating during her video recorded interview that she had been trafficked. It took survivors performing self-initiated referrals to first offenders to get the recognition.

Statistics highlight the scale of the issue. Of the approximately 500 survivors involved in civil cases, only 157 have reported to the Met Police. The Survivors' Trust has said that for every survivor who has come forward, there are 10 who have not, potentially putting the number of trafficking victims in this case into the thousands.

Harrods responded by saying it supports all survivors in the pursuit of justice and continues to work closely with the Met Police on their investigation.