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A Belfast resident who escaped sex-traffickers in Italy to give birth to her baby boy in Dublin is now facing deportation.

Nigerian mum Favour moved to Belfast from Dublin in May 2013 – but has had her asylum claim rejected several times.

The High Court has refused to grant leave to seek judicial review.

She is due to meet with Home Office officials today, but Favour and her son – who was born in Ireland – are facing the real threat of being deported. Now Tim McQuoid solicitors have launched a Change.org online petition in a bid to help them.

A spokesman said: “The Home Office is gearing up to remove mother and son to Nigeria.

“This lady was trafficked to Italy and forced into prostitution having been told she was going to work in a tomato canning factory.

“She became pregnant and was taken to a hospital in Italy for a forced abortion.

“She managed to escape and made her way to Dublin in March 2006.” Favour, who volunteers at a food bank, is well-known in the South Belfast community where they live.

But her son has never lived anywhere other than Ireland – and has a very strong Belfast accent.

He is about to sit vital transfer tests alongside his friends at school.

The spokesman added: “He is absolutely thriving in his education.

“Favour and her son have done really well here – removal to Nigeria would be disastrous for both.

“Her parents are both dead and she has no contact with extended family.”

The Change.org petition has been launched to gather support for Irish citizenship from Charlie Flanagan, the Republic’s Minister for Justice and Equality.