Freedom from Torture is the working name of The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.,[1] . The organisation changed its name in 2011. Freedom from Torture is a British registered charity which solely treats torture survivors.[2] Since it was established in 1985, over 50,000 people have been referred to the organisation for help.
Freedom from Torture provides medical and psychological documentation of torture, a range of therapies, including psychotherapy, individual and family counselling, physiotherapy and complementary therapies and group work as well as practical advice and support. It trains health professionals and others throughout the UK to work with torture survivors.
Central to Freedom from Torture's vision are efforts to educate the public and decision makers about torture and its consequences, and through advocacy work strives to ensure that the UK honours its international obligations towards survivors of torture, asylum seekers and refugees.
Most importantly, Freedom from Torture is a place where survivors' experiences are recognised and where they can safely express their grief while working towards recovery.
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Freedom from Torture's work began in the early 1980s, under the auspices of the A letter to the British Medical Journal re: Amnesty International's Medical Group of Amnesty International. Volunteer health professionals, including some senior specialists in the medical profession, campaigned against violations of human rights and documented evidence of torture.
During those years, clinicians gained expertise by working in the UK and abroad, where they concluded that existing health services did not meet the needs of torture survivors who had fled into exile.
In 1985, under the leadership of Helen Bamber, Freedom from Torture was set up to provide survivors with medical treatment, counselling and therapy and to document evidence of torture. The heads of three the Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Psychiatrists and Royal College of Surgeons of England agreed to sponsor the organisation.
From an inauspicious start in two rooms in the former National Temperance Hospital, off Hampstead Road in north-west London, the work of, the organisation grew rapidly. In 1990 the organisation treated 750 clients and moved to new premises in Grafton Road, Kentish Town.
The first centre outside London opened in Manchester in late 2003, treating clients living in the north-west.
In 2004, the London headquarters moved into a £5.8m new purpose-built treatment centre in Isledon Road, Finsbury Park, by architect Paul Hyett. Freedom from Torture’s Scotland centre opened in Glasgow soon afterwards, followed by the Newcastle centre providing services across the north-east, in 2006.
Freedom from Torture's chief executive officer is Keith Best, who succeeded Simon Carruth.
All services are provided free of charge, including medical consultation, examination and forensic documentation of injuries through medico-legal reports, psychological and physical treatment and support, and practical help.
Over 200 paid and voluntary staff are employed across Freedom from Torture's four centres, including medical doctors, caseworkers, counsellors, legal advisors, physiotherapists, psychotherapists, psychologists, interpreters, child and family therapists and group workers.
Available for all services, the Freedom from Torture employs 75 interpreters who work in 50 regular languages and dialects, and additional languages can be catered for.
Freedom from Torture's main treatment centre is in London, with centres in Manchester covering England's north-west, Newcastle covering the north-east, Glasgow covering the whole of Scotland and Birmingham.[3]
The services offered by the national centres are constantly evolving to meet the needs of a growing population of torture surviving asylum seekers dispersed outside of London.
Since it was founded in in 1985, over 50,000 people have been referred to the MF.
In 2007, Freedom from Torture’s four centres received nearly 2,000 new requests for help. Clients came from almost 100 countries, with significant numbers from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Sri Lanka and Sudan.
About 50% of clients referred are from African nations, 20% from the Middle East, 18% from Asia and 8% from Europe.
Men account for about 58% of Freedom from Torture’s clients, with women comprising about 35% and children 7%.
The majority of Freedom from Torture’s clients are men aged 25–34 years, although clients aged over 60 and children as young as seven years old have been referred for help.
Ninety-nine per cent of Freedom from Torture clients are asylum seekers or refugees, who have fled torture and persecution usually in their home countries and are coping not just with past suffering but also the trauma of living in exile.
The organisation's Medico Legal Report Service is called the 'Medical Foundation Medico Legal Report Service' (taking its name from the registered name of the charity - the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture.)
To maintain impartiality and independence (for the purpose of advocacy), Freedom from Torture does not accept Government funding. The only exception is funding from the Department of Health which is put solely towards the production of guidelines for assessing torture survivors and to train health professionals.
Donations from individuals provide the core income for the charity's work. In 2008, individual donations contributed 65% to the organisation's income (£4,785,000 of a total income of £7,382,000).