0:00:20 > 0:00:25In 2011, Nadra Ali, a 16-year-old Somali girl,
0:00:25 > 0:00:27arrived in Northern Ireland - alone.
0:00:29 > 0:00:32She was placed in care in east Belfast.
0:00:32 > 0:00:34Just 18 days later, she vanished.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40These CCTV pictures from the Belfast Islamic Centre
0:00:40 > 0:00:43are the last known images of Nadra Ali.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47She is still missing.
0:00:53 > 0:00:59This is the man who alerted me to her story, Suleiman Abdullahi.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02He, like Nadra, fled the Somali Civil War,
0:01:02 > 0:01:05that's raged for 25 years.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09In January 2012, he met Nadra for the first and last time,
0:01:09 > 0:01:12outside the Belfast Islamic Centre.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15I spoke to her in Somali language and she spoke to me.
0:01:15 > 0:01:18And I said, "Are you new?" And she said, "Yes, in Belfast."
0:01:18 > 0:01:20And I said, "When did you come?"
0:01:20 > 0:01:23And she said, "Very recently."
0:01:23 > 0:01:26I know you only met her very, very briefly, but what was she like?
0:01:26 > 0:01:29She was a very pretty girl. A young girl.
0:01:29 > 0:01:33She had a headscarf, at the time, and was dressing in a Somali way.
0:01:35 > 0:01:36Slim build.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Did she seem scared, or frightened of anything to you?
0:01:39 > 0:01:43No, she seemed to me very happy,
0:01:43 > 0:01:46liked the people she was with,
0:01:46 > 0:01:48and smiling.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55Suleiman learnt that Nadra was with a foster family in Castlereagh.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00Then, later that day,
0:02:00 > 0:02:02she vanished.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07What happened to her, nobody knows.
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Suleiman saw this missing appeal for Nadra.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15When I heard the news,
0:02:15 > 0:02:17I just...
0:02:19 > 0:02:20..shocked.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24But shock turned to worry when he googled the story,
0:02:24 > 0:02:29to find Nadra wasn't the first Somali girl to go missing.
0:02:29 > 0:02:31The first keyword I put was,
0:02:31 > 0:02:34"Somali girl missing in Belfast".
0:02:34 > 0:02:39And then there was another girl in 2005.
0:02:39 > 0:02:42And then I found out that that other girl was never found.
0:02:42 > 0:02:44That girl is Zahra Abdi.
0:02:44 > 0:02:48She went missing from care aged just 14.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52Over a decade later, no-one knows where she is either.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Suleiman felt not enough was being done to try and find either girl.
0:02:56 > 0:03:00He contacted me. I checked the PSNI missing list.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Neither girl was there.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08I first contacted the police back on the 26th May last year,
0:03:08 > 0:03:11about the two girls, but it took them more than two weeks
0:03:11 > 0:03:15to be able to confirm that Nadra and Zhara still haven't been found.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18As the girls were under 18 and alone,
0:03:18 > 0:03:20they were classed as separated children
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and would have been in the care of the local health trust.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27I've been in contact with the Belfast Trust
0:03:27 > 0:03:30for more than a year now and, in that time,
0:03:30 > 0:03:33all they've told me is that one of the girls was in their care.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36Here's more than a dozen e-mails that I've sent them,
0:03:36 > 0:03:39on top of countless calls, trying to get more information.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42And yet all they keep saying to me is that they can't tell me
0:03:42 > 0:03:46any more because of client confidentiality and data protection.
0:03:46 > 0:03:50And, in all that time, Nadra and Zahra are still missing.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56As no-one will give us answers, I begin to put in dozens
0:03:56 > 0:03:58of freedom of information requests,
0:03:58 > 0:04:00asking hundreds of questions,
0:04:00 > 0:04:03meaning the authorities are legally obliged
0:04:03 > 0:04:05to hand over the information.
0:04:05 > 0:04:08It seems scandalous that no-one is actively looking for these
0:04:08 > 0:04:12two girls, and I'm going to try to find them myself.
0:04:13 > 0:04:17I start with Nadra. I know she was with a foster family.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20The charity Barnardo's run many foster placements
0:04:20 > 0:04:23across Northern Ireland. Will they know Nadra's?
0:04:25 > 0:04:28I first contact Barnardo's back in March this year,
0:04:28 > 0:04:31and initially they say that no children have gone missing.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34But then, a few weeks later, I get an e-mail saying,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37"It has since come to our attention...
0:04:45 > 0:04:47They say new managers
0:04:47 > 0:04:51and systems meant I'd been sent inaccurate information.
0:04:52 > 0:04:53Confusion over facts
0:04:53 > 0:04:57and, crucially, figures, would characterise much of my search.
0:05:01 > 0:05:05I ask the Belfast Trust if I can meet Nadra's foster family.
0:05:07 > 0:05:08They say no.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12But the police tell me some curious facts.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19When Nadra went missing, she had 40 cigarettes
0:05:19 > 0:05:21and a pack of clean underwear with her,
0:05:21 > 0:05:23but she didn't take her toothbrush.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30They add, they have her DNA from a strand of hair.
0:05:33 > 0:05:35There seems little other trace of Nadra.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41As the girls were Muslim, I go to see Brenda Skillen
0:05:41 > 0:05:43from the Muslim Family Association.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45- Hi, Peter.- Hi, Brenda.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- If you don't mind to take your shoes off.- Oh, yeah, no problem.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Do you know many of the Somali community?
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I know a few Somalian community.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59I've seen the photos of the girls.
0:05:59 > 0:06:01They weren't familiar to myself,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05and when you pass that to me,
0:06:05 > 0:06:10I'll share it with them and see if anybody has seen the girls.
0:06:10 > 0:06:14Brenda invites us to Friday prayers, where around 400 people,
0:06:14 > 0:06:16many of them Somali, will gather.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22We begin designing a missing poster, explaining what we're doing.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25Shall we try the writing a bit bigger?
0:06:25 > 0:06:27'The photos are from the original police appeals.'
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Could we put them in caps? Yeah. That's it.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34'It needs to be in three languages and, while making it,
0:06:34 > 0:06:37'we discover some fundamental problems
0:06:37 > 0:06:39'with the original search for the girls.'
0:06:39 > 0:06:42'Their names are spelt wrongly.'
0:06:42 > 0:06:44Sorted?
0:06:48 > 0:06:50The Somalis we talked to all tell us that the
0:06:50 > 0:06:55letter 'z' is never followed by the letter 'h' in their language.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58The name of the girl they were looking for couldn't possibly
0:06:58 > 0:07:01have been Zhara spelt "Zh".
0:07:01 > 0:07:05They also tell us that Nadra's middle name isn't Somali.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08It suggests their names weren't taken down correctly.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21Zahra's photo is of really bad quality, but it's all I have.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27I knock doors on the last known street where she was staying.
0:07:27 > 0:07:29She was placed in a B&B, but it's no longer there.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34We know she made a few friends in the three months
0:07:34 > 0:07:36she was in Northern Ireland.
0:07:36 > 0:07:37Is she someone that you recognise?
0:07:37 > 0:07:40No, not at all. Good luck in finding her, anyway, guys.
0:07:40 > 0:07:41Cheers, thank you.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44We know she kept her clothes in a black bin bag,
0:07:44 > 0:07:49but when she went missing, the bag had no clothes, just towels in it.
0:07:49 > 0:07:53- Do you recognise her?- No, I've never seen that girl before.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55And how long have you lived on the street?
0:07:55 > 0:07:57I've lived about 40 years on this street.
0:07:57 > 0:07:58But I don't recognise that girl.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01Dressed like that there, you'd probably remember.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04We also know her friends said she use a phone box,
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and would sometimes hang up when people got close.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09Who was she calling?
0:08:09 > 0:08:12We discover it took two days for her to be reported missing.
0:08:12 > 0:08:15Why did the authorities not realise she had gone?
0:08:17 > 0:08:19PRAYER IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE
0:08:21 > 0:08:25I take up Brenda's offer of spreading the word at prayers.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27PRAYER IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE
0:08:32 > 0:08:34THEY CHANT
0:08:37 > 0:08:40We're making a programme about two Somali girls that are missing.
0:08:40 > 0:08:42- They've gone missing?- Yeah.
0:08:42 > 0:08:43So we're trying to see
0:08:43 > 0:08:46- if we can get any information about trying to find them.- Can I get a...?
0:08:47 > 0:08:51Do you mind if I take a photo and post it on Facebook,
0:08:51 > 0:08:52saying that two girls are missing?
0:08:52 > 0:08:55I'm overwhelmed by the positive interest in our appeal,
0:08:55 > 0:08:58and surprised by who I then meet.
0:08:58 > 0:08:59First time I saw this girl
0:08:59 > 0:09:03was working at immigration, that worked in the outreach.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05- So you've met this girl before?- Yes.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07OK, and what was she like?
0:09:07 > 0:09:11She was a young girl who just came to the country.
0:09:11 > 0:09:13You're actually the first person
0:09:13 > 0:09:15- that we've met that has met Zahra Abdi.- No, I...
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Kamal seemed a great lead. I met up with him later.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21The police had told me they didn't know how
0:09:21 > 0:09:24Zahra entered the country. Did he know how she got here?
0:09:24 > 0:09:29She was saying that she came in a boat,
0:09:29 > 0:09:32and then a truck, to come to Belfast,
0:09:32 > 0:09:38but she said that they gave her an overall and a bucket and a brush,
0:09:38 > 0:09:42like she's one of the cleaners, till she got into the boat.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45She said that her uncle
0:09:45 > 0:09:48paid the agent to bring her over.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51- To bring her to Northern Ireland, or to...?- No.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54No, no, to take her to a safe country.
0:09:54 > 0:09:56She didn't know that she's in Northern Ireland.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59How did she seem when you met her?
0:09:59 > 0:10:02She was really scared from something.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Tears coming from her eyes.
0:10:05 > 0:10:09But she didn't really say at that time.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12Gary Reid from the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch
0:10:12 > 0:10:16reviewed the cases of both girls earlier this year.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19Zahra presented herself here with no papers.
0:10:19 > 0:10:20She'd come from Mogadishu,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23and she was being looked after by the health trust.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29And she went missing then about three months after that, in June.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32Now, that's when the police got involved.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36All children who arrive here alone,
0:10:36 > 0:10:38like Zahra and Nadra,
0:10:38 > 0:10:41are termed "separated children", and are placed in care.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45A separated child or young person is someone who comes to
0:10:45 > 0:10:47Northern Ireland totally alone.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49They're completely bewildered by this system.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52What role does the state take on and what does that involved?
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Well, the state them becomes their parent.
0:10:59 > 0:11:01Last year, more than one million migrants
0:11:01 > 0:11:04and refugees crossed into Europe.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07Among them, thousands of separated children.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10The Prime Minister says we've already taken in many of them.
0:11:10 > 0:11:14We've got 2,500 unaccompanied children came
0:11:14 > 0:11:17to Britain last year, who we're looking after.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21The Northern Ireland Executive is considering what help to offer.
0:11:21 > 0:11:26Labour's Yvette Cooper is leading the charge to bring in more.
0:11:26 > 0:11:28Urgent question. Yvette Cooper.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31300 children by the beginning of the next school year.
0:11:31 > 0:11:34I meet her just after her speech.
0:11:34 > 0:11:37She's pleased more children are coming in,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41but is worried that those who make it here might then go missing.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44I mean, look, they're about the same age as my children.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47We, all of us, I think, as parents, would be appalled
0:11:47 > 0:11:50to have a 14-year-old girl missing.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52What would you like to see happen now?
0:11:52 > 0:11:55Well, I think you need local authorities to take responsibility,
0:11:55 > 0:11:57but also the police to take responsibility.
0:11:57 > 0:12:00You can't see these as immigration cases.
0:12:00 > 0:12:02It's a serious child protection issue.
0:12:04 > 0:12:08So, how many separated children have gone missing in Northern Ireland?
0:12:10 > 0:12:13It appears there are no official figures,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16so I start trying to add them up.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The numbers are there,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22in reports and written questions in Stormont.
0:12:22 > 0:12:27They appear to show that nine have gone missing since 2012.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32Aidan McQuade believes a double standard is operating.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37If it was local kids, this would be a national scandal.
0:12:37 > 0:12:38It would be a scandal across these islands.
0:12:38 > 0:12:41The fact that we can be indifferent
0:12:41 > 0:12:43to kids who are
0:12:43 > 0:12:47from somewhere else going missing,
0:12:47 > 0:12:50I think that's arguably worse.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53I ask the Health And Social Care Board
0:12:53 > 0:12:57if nine children have gone missing, and they ask me to meet with them.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02So, I went into this meeting hoping to come out with a clear idea
0:13:02 > 0:13:04of the number of children who'd gone missing.
0:13:04 > 0:13:07Now, they say three children have gone missing since 2012,
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and that doesn't tally with our figures.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Then they asked us where we got our figures from.
0:13:12 > 0:13:16But the irony is, those figures came from their own reports.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21As they'd asked to see where I found my information,
0:13:21 > 0:13:25I print out their own reports and take some copies round to them.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Hi, there. I'm Peter Coulter, I'm filming with the BBC.
0:13:32 > 0:13:36We've been asked to drop in copies of these reports.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40Jim Gamble, the former head of the Child Protection Unit, CEOP,
0:13:40 > 0:13:45is highly critical of the Trust's confusion over numbers.
0:13:45 > 0:13:46It's inexcusable.
0:13:47 > 0:13:51If the trusts don't know how many children, you know,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54who were unaccompanied children, are now in their care
0:13:54 > 0:13:57and how many have gone missing, well, you couldn't excuse that.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00I would expect the Trust to be able to articulate that position
0:14:00 > 0:14:03to you in the same way as I'd expect a parent who has a family
0:14:03 > 0:14:08of five or six or seven children to know where their children were.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10That isn't acceptable.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15Suleiman, one of the last people to see Nadra, is eager to help us.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18He feels great empathy for the girls who, like him, fled Somalia.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23- TALKING TO CHILD: - Window. Of the house?
0:14:23 > 0:14:27When civil war broke out in Somalia, Suleiman had two choices -
0:14:27 > 0:14:31fight for his tribe, or leave everything.
0:14:31 > 0:14:35It's obvious the pain of leaving his home and family has never gone away.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39You can imagine that I have my dad, my sisters,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41my brothers live in Somalia,
0:14:41 > 0:14:46and they still keep calling me back, even to go back and see them,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49touch them, physically. So that's very difficult.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Is it hard for you that they're still there?
0:14:54 > 0:14:55It's very hard.
0:15:00 > 0:15:03Suleiman understands people go missing in Somalia,
0:15:03 > 0:15:07but he can't understand how children could have gone missing here.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Jim Gamble believes the way the authorities file
0:15:12 > 0:15:15and deal with a missing separated child report
0:15:15 > 0:15:17is fundamentally flawed.
0:15:17 > 0:15:21So, this system doesn't work, and once the children...
0:15:21 > 0:15:24the report is made, once they're put on the website,
0:15:24 > 0:15:28I believe there is a vacuum, because the agencies
0:15:28 > 0:15:34and the organisations involved in this work go back to their day jobs.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37Nobody is actually out there looking for these kids,
0:15:37 > 0:15:39and over the years they've been away,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41what fresh work has been done?
0:15:41 > 0:15:43What fresh appeals have gone out?
0:15:48 > 0:15:50We decide to do our own appeal.
0:15:50 > 0:15:54Suleiman says the radio is a vital way that Somali families,
0:15:54 > 0:15:56torn apart by the war, trace each other.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03So, Suleiman, how important is radio in Somali culture?
0:16:03 > 0:16:05It's very important
0:16:05 > 0:16:07because after the Civil War,
0:16:07 > 0:16:11it was the only source of information.
0:16:11 > 0:16:12Nearly two million people listen
0:16:12 > 0:16:15to the BBC Somali service in Somalia alone,
0:16:15 > 0:16:18but it's listened to across the world.
0:16:18 > 0:16:20THEY SPEAK IN OWN LANGUAGE
0:16:23 > 0:16:27So, we are glad to have you here at the BBC Somali service.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Peter, could you please tell us first of all
0:16:29 > 0:16:33what this programme's about, and those Somali missing girls.
0:16:33 > 0:16:37All we really want to know is that they are safe, that they are alive.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39We just want some kind of proof of life that they're OK.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42That's the most important thing to us.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44Reaction is immediate.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49- BBC Somali have already put the post on Facebook.- Yeah.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53And more than 60 people have already commented on it. It's incredible.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Yes, I'm quite actually optimistic about this.
0:17:01 > 0:17:06Chloe Setter, an expert in child trafficking, isn't so positive.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Her organisation identified something quite startling.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13There were 13 cases of alleged child trafficking
0:17:13 > 0:17:15in Northern Ireland last year.
0:17:15 > 0:17:17What we have now is modern slavery,
0:17:17 > 0:17:20and traffickers are using modern technology, modern methods,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24in order to exploit people, and it might not be as visible
0:17:24 > 0:17:28as people in chains, but people are enslaved in our society now.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30People are enslaved in Northern Ireland.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34She can't say Nadra or Zahra were trafficked, but she thinks
0:17:34 > 0:17:37it's important someone finds out what has happened to them.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41Suleiman and I went to Shepherd's Bush
0:17:41 > 0:17:43where there is a big Somali community.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48We're told that there's another vital clue that has been missed.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51Without having a middle name, they don't know who you are.
0:17:51 > 0:17:54I think it's very important because it's part of our culture.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56Through father, grandad.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59So, that's how we sort of identify who you are.
0:17:59 > 0:18:03If we had more than the three names,
0:18:03 > 0:18:07if we had, let us say, five names, of these young ladies,
0:18:07 > 0:18:10there might be a big possibility, some big chance,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12that we could identify exactly who they are.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14If this was any other scenario,
0:18:14 > 0:18:16would they have got something as important as a name wrong?
0:18:16 > 0:18:20Those are very important details. If you're looking for somebody,
0:18:20 > 0:18:22you need to get that kind of information correct.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25And if enough effort wasn't put into ensuring that the name was correct,
0:18:25 > 0:18:28how much effort was really put into looking for these people?
0:18:30 > 0:18:32They agree to help us spread the word,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34even uploading the appeal to Snapchat.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37We found out about Nadra and Zahra, who were last seen
0:18:37 > 0:18:41in Belfast, and we want to get the message out there on social media.
0:18:44 > 0:18:49Solicitor Fidelma O'Hagan represents separated children.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52She believes the majority don't make it here alone.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55It is predominantly, without question,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58the involvement of an adult who has facilitated or assisted them
0:18:58 > 0:19:01- in that route for whatever reason. - In a sinister way?
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Without question of a doubt.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05As a solicitor who represents a lot of these children,
0:19:05 > 0:19:09is it worrying for you that some of your clients are going missing
0:19:09 > 0:19:12- and enough is being done? - I think it's absolutely shocking.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17The traffickers consider the children to be commodities.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Traffickers will always be one step ahead
0:19:19 > 0:19:20of the law enforcement agencies,
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and I think that's probably got something to do with
0:19:23 > 0:19:25why we see a rise in numbers coming in here.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Could Zahra have been trafficked? The police have no evidence.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Is that a possibility that she was trafficked?
0:19:32 > 0:19:33Yes, it was a possibility.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Equally, it was a possibility that she came into the country
0:19:36 > 0:19:39and has gone off with friends somewhere else.
0:19:39 > 0:19:41We don't have evidence to prove or disprove either of those
0:19:41 > 0:19:44particular hypotheses.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46The little that's known of Nadra's story, that she
0:19:46 > 0:19:48had cigarettes and clean underwear with her,
0:19:48 > 0:19:52could be seen as an indicator that she expected to leave.
0:19:52 > 0:19:55What that would suggest to me is,
0:19:55 > 0:19:58this girl knew she was about to move, she knew
0:19:58 > 0:20:02she was about to go somewhere else, so she had prepared for that move.
0:20:02 > 0:20:04I'm not suggesting that she agreed,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07or was complicit, that she'd given her consent to move,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10but actually she had prepared for the move herself.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12So she knew. That would imply that
0:20:12 > 0:20:14there's a third party who has influence
0:20:14 > 0:20:17over her movements, so to be able to direct
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and control where she was going to go and when.
0:20:21 > 0:20:22And Zahra?
0:20:22 > 0:20:25The police tell us she had been in contact with a health spa
0:20:25 > 0:20:28that may have operated as a brothel.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31The police went to the home of a man connected with it,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34but he had gone when they got there.
0:20:34 > 0:20:39Do you think that Zahra was trying to reach a brothel there?
0:20:39 > 0:20:40We have nothing to suggest that,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43other than a telephone call that came back to what was
0:20:43 > 0:20:46described to us as a health spa type area,
0:20:46 > 0:20:51with possibility of it being run as a brothel at times.
0:20:51 > 0:20:55We went there and we looked at it. It was searched by the police.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58She wasn't there.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01As I say, that line of inquiry went cold for us.
0:21:01 > 0:21:05Why she had that number, where she got back from, that remains
0:21:05 > 0:21:08a mystery to us till today and, certainly, it was never
0:21:08 > 0:21:11indicated, during that three-month period that she was here,
0:21:11 > 0:21:13to her social worker,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15that she was being trafficked in any shape or form.
0:21:15 > 0:21:20But is it not a bit strange that a young teenage Muslim girl
0:21:20 > 0:21:23would be making contact with a place like that?
0:21:24 > 0:21:28I suppose when you sit back and look at it, yes, that is correct.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32There does appear to be another lead from the Somali appeal.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Yesterday morning, I woke up to this interesting e-mail.
0:21:35 > 0:21:38It's from a guy from Northern Ireland who lives in Kenya,
0:21:38 > 0:21:41which is just across the border from Somalia.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44He saw our appeal on the BBC Somali service website
0:21:44 > 0:21:47and got in touch to offer his help.
0:21:47 > 0:21:49He works as an interpreter for the Somali delegation
0:21:49 > 0:21:52for the International Committee Of The Red Cross.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55And they do a lot of tracing for families who become separated
0:21:55 > 0:21:57due to the conflict.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01Now, what are the chances of finding someone from Northern Ireland
0:22:01 > 0:22:04who speaks Somali, who might be able to help us
0:22:04 > 0:22:07get some information about the missing girls' families?
0:22:09 > 0:22:13He later agrees to talk to me in a personal capacity on Skype.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18But David appears to end any hope I have of finding the girls.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20He tells us of the vital importance
0:22:20 > 0:22:23of knowing the girls' tribal background,
0:22:23 > 0:22:26another key fact we just don't have.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Only having their first name
0:22:29 > 0:22:34and their second name isn't a lot of information to go on.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39In the Somali context, it's very important that you have the details
0:22:39 > 0:22:40of their tribe,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44because that's the way the Somalis connect with each other.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47Aidan McQuade believes the police have questions to answer.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Well, I suspect this may be an issue for the police ombudsman,
0:22:50 > 0:22:56to look at the failings or otherwise within the investigation.
0:22:56 > 0:22:58Given the information that we had
0:22:58 > 0:23:00and leads that we had in and around that,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03I'm confident that the investigation teams that were dealing with
0:23:03 > 0:23:08it at that particular time exhausted every avenue of the investigation.
0:23:10 > 0:23:12The police acknowledge failings in how
0:23:12 > 0:23:15they engaged with the Somali community.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18We have spoken to Somalis across the UK,
0:23:18 > 0:23:21and they said to us that the
0:23:21 > 0:23:23name "Zhara", Z-H-A-R-A,
0:23:23 > 0:23:26can't possibly be spelt in that way.
0:23:26 > 0:23:30They've said that an 'h' ever follows a 'z' in Somali,
0:23:30 > 0:23:34and that Nadra's middle name, Sharis, is not a Somali word.
0:23:34 > 0:23:35We are a learning organisation.
0:23:35 > 0:23:38We're learning all the time and, certainly,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42we didn't endeavour to look at the diversity issues around that,
0:23:42 > 0:23:43but certainly it never came
0:23:43 > 0:23:46up during our investigation that the spelling of this was...
0:23:46 > 0:23:48it couldn't have been that.
0:23:48 > 0:23:50So there was no direct approach to the Somali community
0:23:50 > 0:23:54- until we approached you about the cases?- No, there wasn't.
0:23:54 > 0:23:56Where do you think the girls might be now?
0:23:57 > 0:24:00I wish I knew the answer to that question.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Jim Gamble believes it is the trusts who have a case to answer.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06Actually, when a child has been identified,
0:24:06 > 0:24:07when we know they're vulnerable,
0:24:07 > 0:24:10that's when I think we lose any excuse
0:24:10 > 0:24:13about the difficulties that surround us.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16We ask to interview the directors of the Belfast And Southern Trust,
0:24:16 > 0:24:19and the director of the Health And Social Care Board,
0:24:19 > 0:24:24to explain why children had gone missing under their watch.
0:24:24 > 0:24:25They declined.
0:24:25 > 0:24:27Deirdre Coyle was put forward,
0:24:27 > 0:24:30but we were told she couldn't answer questions on behalf
0:24:30 > 0:24:32of the Belfast or Southern Trust,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35or any questions about Nadra or Zahra.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38Five other representatives from the Health And Social Care Board
0:24:38 > 0:24:41stayed in the room while the interview took place.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43I'm going to show you two pictures.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47This is Nadra and Zahra,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49the two girls that went missing.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53We've been told that you won't answer any questions about them.
0:24:53 > 0:24:56Is that acceptable, that we still can't get
0:24:56 > 0:24:59any accountability for these two girls?
0:24:59 > 0:25:01I think what I would say...
0:25:01 > 0:25:04you've already raised this in terms of...it's not my...
0:25:09 > 0:25:12It was the board who said three children were missing.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Of the nine we told them about, one turned out to be aged 18.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19The board's now checked its figures
0:25:19 > 0:25:22right back to when Zahra disappeared.
0:25:22 > 0:25:26Since Zahra Abdi went missing on the 20th June, 2005,
0:25:26 > 0:25:29how many children have gone missing in Northern Ireland?
0:25:29 > 0:25:32I would say that eight children went missing
0:25:32 > 0:25:34and remain missing.
0:25:34 > 0:25:36Behind all of these numbers,
0:25:36 > 0:25:39there's an individual life, a child's life,
0:25:39 > 0:25:43which we take extremely seriously.
0:25:43 > 0:25:45Our efforts, at this time,
0:25:45 > 0:25:48are concentrated on preventing
0:25:48 > 0:25:50these children going missing.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Preventing it ever happening.
0:25:53 > 0:25:55From the 1st April, 2014,
0:25:55 > 0:25:59I would also stress to you that no children have gone missing.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00Since that interview,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04the Belfast Trust that looked after Nadra have issued a statement.
0:26:04 > 0:26:08They said they were unable to talk about individual cases,
0:26:08 > 0:26:13but all relevant steps were taken before and after her disappearance.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17And a Serious Adverse Incident Review involving all agencies
0:26:17 > 0:26:18had subsequently taken place.
0:26:20 > 0:26:23The Children's Commissioner thinks that the trusts
0:26:23 > 0:26:27and the police should now review the cases of the eight missing children.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Yes, I think
0:26:29 > 0:26:32any sort of incident where a child in the care -
0:26:32 > 0:26:34in anybody's care,
0:26:34 > 0:26:36but particularly in the care of the state - that the
0:26:36 > 0:26:39outcome hasn't been the way that was intended, should be constantly
0:26:39 > 0:26:42under review, but do I think the Trust need to give assurances?
0:26:42 > 0:26:45Yes, I do.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47And as for Nadra and Zahra, well,
0:26:47 > 0:26:49nothing came from the Somali service appeal.
0:26:49 > 0:26:53But just last night, I spoke to an organisation in Manchester
0:26:53 > 0:26:56who I'd first contacted several days ago.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Incredibly, they think they might have found the girls.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05So, you have actually got leads? That's incredibly exciting.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08What more can you tell us about them?
0:27:08 > 0:27:10I was as surprised, actually, as anybody.
0:27:10 > 0:27:16We think we might have some reasonably strong prospects
0:27:16 > 0:27:21to identify the current locations of both these young women.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26We've got three separate reports that suggest that both of these
0:27:26 > 0:27:30girls did come to Manchester around that time that they left
0:27:30 > 0:27:33the Northern Ireland area.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37So, the girl that you believe to be Nadra might well
0:27:37 > 0:27:39be in the Northwest?
0:27:39 > 0:27:42We believe that Nadra may well be still in the Northwest.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46One of the lines of inquiry we're looking at is that she might
0:27:46 > 0:27:49be still working in the Manchester area.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51So, tell me what you've been able to find out
0:27:51 > 0:27:54about the girl that you think might be Zahra.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58The report that's come through to us is that somebody who knew Zahra
0:27:58 > 0:28:01reasonably well thinks that this
0:28:01 > 0:28:05missing girl from Northern Ireland
0:28:05 > 0:28:07was in fact somebody that he knew,
0:28:07 > 0:28:10and that she is now settling down
0:28:10 > 0:28:14and living in the West Yorkshire area.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17So, what are you going to do now?
0:28:17 > 0:28:21We've got a lot to do yet before we've got to the point where
0:28:21 > 0:28:23we think we can make, you know, we can perhaps
0:28:23 > 0:28:25approach them and see if they're OK.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31So, perhaps, after all this time, a breakthrough.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36Stormont is soon to bring in new provisions to provide
0:28:36 > 0:28:39guardians to look after separated children.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41It is hoped this will prevent girls like Nadra
0:28:41 > 0:28:43and Zahra going missing again.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47I started looking for two missing children.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50If we have found them, that's remarkable.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55But if we can do that in a matter of weeks, why can't the police?
0:28:56 > 0:28:59And why has more not been done to find the other children
0:28:59 > 0:29:03the board have belatedly accepted have gone missing?