Creating a better environment is fundamental to survivors’ recovery, and we bring about positive systemic change through policy advocacy and strategic legal work.
As human rights advocates, we are uniquely placed, due to our expertise, research and influence, to bear witness to the experiences of survivors; to support the fight for their rights to be upheld; and to drive systemic change.
Our advocacy work is rooted firmly in the lived experiences of survivors, including our clients. We use our authoritative medico-legal expertise, alongside evidence from frontline work and research, to secure ongoing policy change; work collaboratively with others; and support survivors to advocate for the change they want to see.
Using the combined experience and expertise of our clients, staff team and volunteers, we publish briefings and reports; bring and support legal challenges with witness statements; and lead research to provide an evidence base for our advocacy with local and central government. We also deliver and provide technical advice, training and in-person supervision to support and enable others to change their practice.
OUR GOALS
Protection - Ensuring all survivors of trafficking and torture have access to a fair and full consideration of their asylum claim ; that asylum and immigration decisions are quicker and of a better quality; and there are accessible and affordable routes for family members to joint survivors in the UK.
Fairness - Ensuring a trauma-informed approach in protection systems; that all survivors have access to free high-quality legal advice and representation and have sufficient time to put forward their cases; and that children are not (re) traumatised and denied their rights as children by poor quality decision-making on age.
Safety and security - Bringing an end to the use of accommodation in ex-military sites and ensuring that survivors are given quality housing, appropriate financial support and secure leave to remain in the UK (with a route to settlement) that provides the security and stability necessary for them to recover and rebuild their lives.
CHALLENGING HARMFUL SYSTEMS
> Through research and evidence, we have demonstrated the need for survivors to have secure immigration status. Our evidence was used in Asylum Aid’s successful legal challenge to the Home Office’s ‘secret policy’ of not granting leave to victims of trafficking and has helped push the government to reconsider its policy on grants of leave for those recognised as victims under the National Referral Mechanism. We have worked extensively with the Home Office to improve asylum decision making and reduce the use of lengthy harmful interviews.
> We have significantly highlighted the harm caused to survivors housed in hotels and ex-military sites. Our evidence was a key part of the successful legal challenge to the use of Napier Barracks and is part of an ongoing legal challenge to the use of RAF Wethersfield. The government has announced it will stop using hotels, the Bibby Stockholm and Nappier barrack to accommodate people seeking asylum and has scrapped plans to open new accommodation in RAF Scampton. The Prime Minister committed to closing RAF Wethersfield before the election.
> Working closely with the Home Office, MPs and Peers, we successfully challenged the introduction of short-notice evictions of newly recognised refugees from asylum accommodation. We were pleased to see a significant shift in the government’s operations and a pilot of doubling the ‘move-on’ period to new refugees to 56 days to avoid these risks reoccurring.
> Our groundbreaking research has shown that the Home Office is incorrectly treating hundreds of children seeking asylum as adults, based on a short visual assessment on arrival in the UK, and that the ‘age dispute’ process is causing significant harm to children. Our evidence has been repeatedly cited in parliamentary debates and is being used in strategic litigation. We are working on revised guidance for social workers with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services.
DRIVING PRACTICE CHANGE
> Our research has proven that Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) is beneficial for survivors as it helps them contextualise multiple traumatic experiences. We have trained therapists in the UK to deliver NET, as well as internationally in countries such as Myanmar and Iraq.
> We designed the UK Trauma Informed Code of Conduct as a guide for all professionals working with survivors. It is also referred to in the government’s Modern Slavery Statutory Guidance.
> Working with a panel of international trafficking experts, including survivors, we led the drafting of the Organisation on Security and Cooperation in Europe’s revised handbook on National Referral Mechanisms.
> We have delivered training to the NHS, trafficking advocates (including those with lived experience), the police, and outreach services working under the UK Government Contract, as well as other statutory bodies and agencies.