Resource

Despite the government’s manifesto pledge to “uphold human rights and international law,” its recent proposals include the dilution of the protections offered by both Article 3 (protection from torture, inhuman or degrading treatment) and Article 8 (the right to private and family life) of the ECHR, on the basis that those protections are being used to ‘frustrate’ immigration and deportation decisions. This Human Rights Day we call for leadership that strengthens rights, not weakens them.

This clinical guidance for delivering psychological interventions for survivors of trafficking is written by psychologists and practitioners from the Helen Bamber Foundation and Freedom From Torture. Working therapeutically with survivors of trafficking is often complex and emotionally challenging for both the survivor and the therapist, but it can lead to significant improvements for a survivor’s quality of life.

The government's new measures will not deter people seeking safety from coming to the UK but will instead significantly harm the mental health and social integration of those recognised as needing protection in this country. These are men, women, children and families who have fled war, conflict, torture, trafficking, persecution and extreme cruelty. At a point when they most need safety and security, they will be left in a state of ongoing limbo and anxiety about being removed from the country, even once they have been recognised as refugees, and made to wait for over twenty years before they can settle here. Many will be denied the right to reunite with their children and other family members.