When I fled torture in my homeland, the UK granted me sanctuary and a chance to rebuild my life. I know only too well how torture destroys lives. The human rights charity Freedom from Torture who helped me to understand what had happened to me, and how to cope with the damage caused by torture. Today, in our therapy rooms up and down the country we continue to bear witness to the long and agonising journey of rebuilding lives torn apart by violence.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and without this vital piece of legislation I would have been deported from safety in the UK and sent back into the hands of my torturers. And yet, today, all around the world, we’re seeing the incidences and acceptance of torture rising and the fight for justice and reparations for survivors is under threat. The prohibition on torture is absolute and states must take positive steps to prevent it. Authoritarian governments seek to suppress popular movements and protest and use torture to silence people and destroy lives. But in recent years the traditional defenders of the absolute ban on torture – countries like the UK – have been backsliding on their obligations.
It is also 40 years since Freedom from Torture opened its doors to survivors from around the world. Over the last four decades, our therapists have witnessed the physical and mental scars of torture, supporting thousands of survivors in their painful journey towards healing. Alongside survivors themselves, we fight to hold torturing states and those that support them to account. We campaign tirelessly for the fairer treatment in the UK of people who’ve been tortured. And yet now, the re-election of a US President who has advocated torture, and previously spoken publicly about how he think torture ‘works’, sends a shocking message to both torturers and survivors across the globe.
