In an extraordinary story of many twists and turns, a mother and daughter separated while fleeing their home in Ivory Coast are set to be reunited.
Four-year-old Oumoh arrived alone in Lampedusa, Italy after a dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa, a notoriously risky route. The UNHCR reports that there is one death for every 47 arrivals via this lethal corridor.
Fleeing FGM
Originally from Ivory Coast, Oumoh’s mother decided to move away with her daughter for fear the child would be forced to undergo the most severe form of FGM if she remained with her father’s family.
They escaped to the the city of Tunis, more than 2,000 miles away from their home. Once there, Oumoh’s mother entrusted her daughter in the care of a friend and travelled back home to gather some belongings.
But before she could return, the friend accepted an offer to be smuggled to Europe. Unable to wait, she decided to take Oumoh with her. It is unclear how they became separated, but local Italian police report that Oumoh arrived in Italy unaccompanied.
Read More: More Refugees Drowned in Mediterranean Sea This Year Than Ever Before
A Nameless Face
Rescued from a rickety boat, none of the other passengers could confirm the four-year-old's identity to the authorities.
2016. The deadliest year on record for refugees crossing the Med.
— Save the Children UK (@savechildrenuk) November 17, 2016
This is what it's like to #savechildrenatsea: https://t.co/XmK1Zh4ZUn
"She was quite traumatized, and initially wouldn't speak or communicate," Marilena Cefala, the head of Lampedusa's reception centre, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
But a few days later, a fortunate coincidence helped Cefala discover the young girl’s identity.
A Picture Worth More than A Thousand Words
While interviewing the mother of a young girl called Nassade, Cefala gave Nassade her phone to play with. Flipping through the photos, Nassade recognised a familiar face.
“It’s Oumoh, it’s Oumoh!” she said. It turns out Nassade had met Oumoh in Tunisia before travelling on to Italy.
With information provided by the conversation with Nassade and a simple Facebook search, Cefala was able to track down a relative of Oumoh’s in France and get hold of a contact number for her mother.
"She [the mother] cried tears of joy when I told her that her daughter was safe and alive," an Italian police inspector said.
The Italian police are now awaiting DNA evidence to confirm the story, before the mother is flown to Sicily to be reunited with her daughter.
"I am anxious to see the mother embrace her child,” said the police inspector. “I hope we can receive this present before Christmas.”
So do we!