Godzimir's Story

Godzimir is a 50-year-old electrician from Poland who is currently in a Salvation Army safe house in the East Midlands having been exploited in construction where he sustained a serious injury when a beam fell on him at work. It was when he was in hospital that he felt able to tell healthcare workers what had happened to him. They contacted the police who in turn referred him to The Salvation Army.

Godzimir was approached by a man in Poland in late 2020 offering work in construction in Germany. Godzimir went with him and worked for a few months but then the work dried up. He was then told of an opportunity in London working for the man’s cousin. The man (who turned out to be a trafficker) then arranged for Godzimir to travel to the UK by minibus telling him that the work would be legitimate and they would sort his documents. He took Godzimir’s ID and electrician certificates. It later turned out that the documents were burned and Godzimir was given documents under a false name to enter the UK. He was set to work on a range of jobs like loft extensions around London. He and another man, possibly also a victim, lived in a shed at the bottom of the trafficker’s garden. He was only paid very occasionally and then in cash, amounts from £10 to £100 but in total over 14 months he only received £490 in total.

After the accident Godzimir was in hospital for months. During that time he was visited by the other man who had lived with him in the shed and very frequently by the trafficker who told charge as key contact and also insisted on translating for Godzimir, telling hospital staff that he didn’t trust the interpretation service. This is a typical method of control. He brought Godzimir various thing but refused to bring his mobile phone so Godzimir was isolated. Eventually he recovered sufficiently from his injuries and gathered courage to tell staff he was scared.

The police don’t appear to have made progress on investigating his case so it is likely that his trafficker is still at large. Godzimir is doing well and engaging with doctors and other support which The Salvation Army have set up for him, although he is still in a lot of pain from his injuries. He now has pre-settled status in UK and wants to stay here and work once he is fully recovered; his English is improved from attending language classes and he can get recognition for his electrician skills. As he arrived with no documents, his support worker has helped him to get a new passport from the Polish embassy as well as helping him sort his status and access medical support,  language and other classes.