To: The United Kingdom Government, the Home Office, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Members of Parliament, European authorities, and international humanitarian organizations

We, the undersigned, respectfully call upon the appropriate authorities to take urgent humanitarian action to protect Layla Aden Hassan, assist her in returning to safety, and support every lawful effort to reunite her with her children.

According to Layla, she was born in the United Kingdom in 1989 and spent part of her childhood in both the United Kingdom and the Netherlands before being taken to Somalia as a child.

According to Layla, when she was approximately three months old, her mother returned to Somalia and later died under circumstances that remain unclear. Layla says that no one in her family ever saw her mother's body, and she grew up without ever knowing her mother.

According to Layla, she spent her childhood attending school in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, where she learned English and built her early life. Family photographs and other records help document this period of her childhood before she was taken from Europe.

According to Layla, when she was around ten years old,  she was in the UK. Her aunt who was raising her told her they would be traveling to Saudi Arabia for a family wedding. Before leaving, Layla packed her belongings and carried personal papers, including the telephone number of a close friend, believing she would soon return home.

Instead, according to Layla, she was taken to Somalia. She says that while she slept during the journey, her personal papers disappeared, leaving her with no way to contact anyone connected to her life in Europe. When she arrived, she discovered she had not been taken to Saudi Arabia. According to Layla, she was met by another aunt, who was the mother of the man she would later be forced to marry.

According to Layla, at the age of thirteen she was forced into marriage and remained under coercive control for approximately twenty-five years. She reports enduring severe physical, emotional, psychological, and sexual abuse. During that time, she gave birth to twelve children, ten of whom are living today.

According to Layla, she often went without food, bears visible scars from the abuse she endured, and was denied access to routine medical care throughout her life. She states that despite giving birth to twelve children, she was never allowed to receive regular medical examinations or make decisions about her own health and well-being.

According to Layla, years later the same aunt promised to help her return to Europe but instead instructed her to apply for Somali passports under different identities. Layla says this resulted in biometric discrepancies that she did not understand because she was following her aunt's instructions. When she later asked for help, Layla states that her aunt laughed and told her, ". You're never coming to Europe."

According to Layla, after approximately twenty-five years of abuse and captivity, she finally escaped and reached Kenya. She reports that she continues to fear for her safety and believes returning to Somalia would place her life at risk. Although she has escaped, she remains separated from her children and hopes they can one day be safely reunited.

Layla has also shared concerns that her identity may have been misused while she was trapped in Somalia. She is seeking the opportunity to return to the United Kingdom, the country where she says she was born and spent much of her childhood to rebuild her life, receive protection, and begin healing from decades of abuse.

We respectfully call upon the appropriate authorities to:

Urgently review Layla Aden Hassan's case.
Verify her identity and any citizenship or immigration rights to which she may be entitled.

Provide immediate humanitarian protection and legal assistance.

Facilitate her safe return to the United Kingdom or another place of safety in Europe, if she is found eligible.

Ensure she has access to comprehensive medical care, trauma-informed mental health services, and survivor support.

Investigate any concerns regarding the misuse of her identity.

Work with international partners to support the safe and lawful reunification of Layla with her children whenever possible and in their best interests.

For more than two decades, according to her account, Layla was denied the freedom to choose where she lived, whom she married, and how she lived her life. She now seeks only the opportunity to live in safety, recover from years of trauma, and rebuild the future that was taken from her.

We urge governments, humanitarian organizations, and members of the public to stand with Layla Aden Hassan. By signing this petition, you are calling for a thorough, compassionate, and urgent review of her case and supporting her right to seek protection, safety, and, where lawful and appropriate, reunification with her children.