"No one believed my age" - Zuri's story

Zuri describes herself as a victim of the age assessment process, and it’s affecting every aspect of her life. Fortunately, she met other young torture survivors with similar experiences in our group, Young Outspoken Survivors.

Zuri escaped torture in Congo with only the clothes on her back. Like many refugees who fled for their lives, she wasn’t able to bring any documentation with her. When she arrived in the UK, she had nothing, no one. She was so young and vulnerable, but social services didn’t believe that she was still a teenager. 

They carried out an age assessment and concluded that she must be seven years older than she said. The ID she received shows the date of birth they decided for her. 

“They said I was too tall, my feet were too big. My skin looked old. And I knew how to cook. So they told me I was lying. They decided I was older.”

This experience made Zuri feel hopeless and humiliated. When people ask her how old she is, she feels anxious. Should she say her real age, or the one that was decided for her? It has an impact on every aspect of her life.

She was refused housing, accused of lying about her age “to get a good bed.” She wasn’t even allowed to go to college, something she desperately wanted. 

I see people my age, they are working, they are going to university. I want to learn too. I want to boost myself.

She was referred to Freedom from Torture, where she received therapy funded by our supporters. “My therapist encouraged me to find out how I can raise myself and live my life. Right now, I cannot be who I want because of what social services did to me. So I changed my vision and tried to focus on what I can do for myself. I keep fighting because I don’t want my children to become trapped like I was. I don’t want them to be treated like I was.”

After her therapy finished, Zuri joined Freedom from Torture’s youth activism group, Young Outspoken Survivors. It was here she found a place where she could meet people who had been through similar experiences. 

Together, they went to Parliament, they did talks at universities and online to raise awareness. Zuri will continue to challenge the decision and fight for her real age to be recognised, so she can finally start living her life.

Young Outspoken Survivors can only exist thanks to funding from our supporters. Donate today to help torture survivors like Zuri.