Freedom from Torture

Freedom from Torture

“I fled my country to escape torture and persecution.”

Jean ended up alone in the UK when he was just 16 years old. He doesn’t know where his father is, and he still can’t talk about what happened to his mother. Young torture survivors like Jean have their lives torn apart.

“My father was a politician who opposed the government. As a result, they targeted him and our family. Their aim was to eliminate him and his relatives, putting all of us in danger.” Jean was only 16 when he fled from Africa - he’s still too scared of being found by his torturers to say which country. He arrived in the UK traumatised and alone. Yet rather than finding protection and safety, he faced a long, lonely journey through a complex asylum system. Initially, officials didn’t believe his age, so this already vulnerable, teenage boy was placed in an adult asylum centre. After being threatened with deportation, he became homeless for four years. He says, “I felt like giving up and ending my life.” Eventually, Jean found the safety and hope he desperately needed at Freedom from Torture and has been able to build a new life the UK.

Freedom from Torture supports people like Jean who have survived torture to heal, and start rebuilding their lives.

Our vision is a world free from torture. We aim to ensure that the human rights of survivors are restored through rehabilitation and protection. We fight to ensure that states responsible for torture are held to account.
The experiences of people who have survived torture drive and inform everything we do. Survivors play a leading role in designing, delivering and evaluating our work and their input is vital for improving our services and how we do our work.
On the 25^th of December 2025, Freedom from Torture turns 40. Whilst we have been able to help so many torture survivors in the last few decades, we are struggling with increased demand for our services. Any donation you are able to make via Payroll Giving will be put to good use straightaway to support torture survivors with essentials services. 
Our therapists work with survivors to rebuild their physical and mental health. Our doctors document evidence of torture, and our lawyers and welfare advisors help survivors with their asylum cases and social support. We also support other organisations delivering high-quality rehabilitation services.

We are able to do it all because we are backed by an active movement of compassionate, outspoken supporters. And as our movements for social justice gain ground globally, it matters more than ever that people with direct experience of torture are leading our common calls for change.

Our impact
Since our inception, we have supported thousands of torture survivors. Through our clinical services, we provide life-changing support for hundreds of men, women and children who have survived physical and psychological torture.

At Freedom from Torture, we campaign for better treatment of torture survivors in the UK. Backed by thousands of supporters, our award-winning Stop the Flights campaign forced airline Privilege Style to back out of the government’s cruel Rwanda refugee expulsion scheme.

Read our 2022-25 strategy and our latest impact report.