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“This place is re-traumatising me,” says Abdulkarim*, who has been forced to live in the asylum camp at RAF Wethersfield for over six months. “It reminds me of the prison in Libya,” he adds. After fleeing his country, Abdulkarim was tortured, beaten and starved in a prison cell in Libya for over a month before he eventually reached the UK in hope of finding protection. He was diagnosed with complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorder. But instead of receiving the appropriate support he needed, he was sent to Wethersfield, where his mental health severely deteriorated. “Sometimes I think of harming myself or ending my life when I think of how I ended up in this prison after all the hardship I endured,” he says. 

Abdulkarim is among the thousands of people seeking asylum in the UK who have experienced severe trauma because of violence, conflict or abuse. There is a substantial body of evidence to show that refugees and displaced people, including survivors of trafficking and torture, are more vulnerable to developing mental health disorders such as PTSD, complex PTSD, depression and anxiety disorders. Associated behaviours, such as self-harm and substance dependence, can also place them at higher risk of suicide or accidental death. While these problems are a result of their experiences in their home countries and the perilous journeys they have taken to reach their destination – much like with Abdulkarim – the treatment they receive in the UK often acutely worsens their conditions.  

(Re)traumatised by the system  

It is critical, therefore, for survivors to have access to consistent, trauma-informed support; proactive health screening; and medical and therapeutic care to recover from their past experiences. But key to addressing the mental health needs of survivors of torture and trafficking is also addressing the systemic failings that cause them harm in the UK. These include delays in decision making; intrusive asylum and trafficking processes; immigration detention; and poor housing and lack of financial support. 

In recent years, people seeking asylum have been housed in large accommodation sites such as ex-military barracks, barges and hotels, for prolonged periods of time, which is deeply damaging to their mental health.  The ‘prison-like’ asylum camp at RAF Wethersfield is one such example. Home Office data showed that in just three months in 2024 there were 30 recorded occurrences of men self-harming or attempting suicide, or at serious risk of doing so; and 91 occurrences of men expressing that they were considering suicide or self-harm. These stark figures illustrate just how damaging these sites are to the mental and physical health of those held there.  

Immigration detention is another example of systemic failure. People with significant mental illness and those with evidence of past torture, sexual or gender-based violence, are detained for indefinite periods of time despite their pre-detention mental health-related vulnerability. Most of the individuals detained for immigration purposes go on to be released – their detention having served no purpose either in successfully concluding their immigration case or in securing in their removal from the UK. But the harm this experience causes is long-lasting and profound.  

Stability and recovery  

Recovery from trauma requires a person to be stable and secure, only then can one fully benefit from therapeutic care. But thousands of people seeking asylum and survivors of trafficking are forced to spend months or even years in a situation of limbo, awaiting decisions on their asylum claim or National Referral Mechanism (the UK’s system to identify someone as a victim of trafficking and initiate support). Many are stuck in a loop of judicial appeals and reconsideration of asylum decisions. Over two thirds of Helen Bamber Foundation’s clients have been waiting for over two years for their initial asylum decisions. A lack of a secure immigration status leaves people in fear of detention and/or removal. It can result in poverty, destitution and isolation as survivors are prevented from working while waiting for a decision and forced instead to rely on staggeringly low levels of financial support.  

Supporting and upholding the rights of those with mental health issues can only be achieved if the government takes a broad holistic approach that aims to address all factors that worsen mental health, as well as helping individuals to respond to their health problems. For survivors of torture and trafficking, such an approach would involve providing suitable housing and adequate financial support; a more responsive and trauma-informed asylum system that generates quick but fair decisions; and a process that is welcoming, collaborative and prioritises integration from day one.   

Click on the arrow below to read our submission to the Office of the UN High Commission on Human Rights on the mental health of people seeking asylum and survivors of trafficking in the UK. 

*name changed to protect identity