Naseem, client and volunteer - 40th anniversary

"The asylum process is so dehumanising"

Naseem’s family were supported at Freedom from Torture when he was just nine years old. Many years later he came back to us as a volunteer before beginning a career in the NHS.

We are Lebanese, but we were living in Sierra Leone when the war started, so we fled to the UK. We were grateful to be safe, but it was very hard to adjust. It was just me, my little sister and my mum, who was really struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and we had no money.

My mum worked so hard to get her degree here and support us all the time. The first time I saw her cry was when she was let down by the council for our housing. The years of trying to navigate healthcare, housing and benefit systems really took a toll on her. You feel like a beggar almost. You feel less than human. And that really knocks you.

I have some good memories of Freedom from Torture. While my mum received therapy, my sister and I would play in the garden. We even went on a holiday scheme with some supporters who we are still friends with today.

Now, as a Clinical Psychologist, I work with a lot of people with trauma, but they cannot move forward because the asylum process is so dehumanising.Many say it is even more traumatic than what they have been through, which is really shocking to say.

As someone who has received the care of Freedom from Torture and worked there, I know what a special place it is. Here, in one place, survivors can access everything from medical support, welfare advice and legal support, to horticultural and music therapy.”