Latest news
-
27 Aug 2010As reports of nearly 200 women raped in a systematic attack emerge from Kivu Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the Medical Foundation reflects on the use of rape as a weapon of war
-
20 Aug 2010The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has announced this week a change to Immigration Rules which allows asylum seekers, including torture survivors, their basic right to work if they have been waiting for a Home Office decision on a fresh asylum claim for longer than 12 months.
-
27 Jul 2010A High Court judge has ruled that a special ‘exceptions policy’ being employed by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to remove some people from the UK, without giving the standard 72-hour notice period, is unlawful.
-
07 Jul 2010A transparent and comprehensive inquiry is first step to restore UK’s damaged reputation as an unequivocal supporter of the ban on torture.
-
06 Jul 2010The Prime Minister today announced the terms of a judge-led inquiry into allegations of UK complicity in the torture of terror suspects overseas, to be led by former Court of Appeal judge, Sir Peter Gibson
-
02 Jul 2010Whitehall sources have this week claimed that the government could be poised to announce the terms of an inquiry into allegations that British security services were complicit in the torture of terror suspects.
-
25 Jun 2010On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2010, the Medical Foundation is standing with survivors of torture worldwide and joining the international community to reflect on the appalling practice of torture and to unite in a call to end it. You can join us and speak out against torture by supporting the international action that people around the world are supporting, calling for “World without Torture”.
-
21 Jun 2010A year on from Iran’s June 2009 election that resulted in violent clashes on the streets, the mass-arrest of protesters and widespread allegations of torture in detention, the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture hears from torture survivors who have fled from Iran in the past
-
16 Jun 2010MF fears for torture survivors left without legal representation with impending closure of RMJ
-
10 Jun 2010As Geoff Hoon gives evidence to inquiry into death of Baha Mousa the MF calls for Liam Fox to pledge this never happens again
-
09 Jun 2010The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture has raised urgent questions about a plan by the UK Border Agency (UKBA) to forcibly return unaccompanied child asylum seekers to Afghanistan on a monthly basis without establishing if measures have been put in place to care for this vulnerable group
-
03 Jun 2010Leaders of charities including Amnesty International, Liberty, and Barnardo’s have joined faith leaders and senior legal and human rights experts in an appeal to save Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ) from closure.
-
27 May 2010The Medical Foundation has welcomed the news that the foreign secretary, William Hague, has ordered an inquiry into allegations of the complicity of the British intelligence agencies in torture. But if the inquiry is to represent a meaningful step towards restoring justice, it is also vital that the process encompasses full participation by survivors of torture and allows their voices to be publicly heard.
-
14 May 2010Whilst the MF applauds the coalition government on the commitment to end child detention there is still much to be wary of until further details are released. No details have been made public on the time frame given to implement the ending of child detention and as yet there are no proposals on what the government intends to set up as an alternative. It is also not known if age disputed children will be exempt from detention. We are also concerned that the ban on child detention should extend to all children, including children within families, not just unaccompanied children. The MF calls on the government to ensure the best interests of the child is the primary consideration when looking for alternatives to detention, and that all authorities working with or on behalf of children safeguard and promote their welfare.
-
12 May 2010As David Cameron takes over the keys to the country the coalition government between Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats brings a new dawn into the torture debate with hopes for a full and judicial inquiry into the UK’s complicity in torture as laid out in the Liberal Democrat manifesto and not ruled out by the Conservatives. This new start brings renewed vigour in the call to fully uphold the worldwide ban on torture and to protect the rights of those who seek safety from organised violence and torture abroad.
-
19 Apr 2010Ready to fight for survivors of torture and those fleeing organised violence Keith Best takes over the helm at the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture. At a time when the UK government is facing allegations of complicity in torture and the treatment of asylum seekers fleeing violence is heavily criticised, he has his work cut out for him.
-
01 Apr 2010Having survived horrific experiences in their home countries, survivors of torture working with the Medical Foundation North East have produced a book of creative writing as part of the healing process called The Galloping Stone. Following a writing project headed by their poet-in-residence, Gillian Allnutt, the anthology is a collection of poems and prose written by clients, staff and volunteers from the MF and its partner organisation, Justice First, in Stockton.
-
17 Mar 2010Torture survivors seeking sanctuary in the UK are being detained in direct contravention of Government policy which states this should only happen in ‘very exceptional circumstances’. The Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture is gravely concerned because detention can make the trauma of individuals who have been tortured more acute, compounding their suffering.
-
25 Feb 2010Victims of torture seeking refuge in the UK are being failed by a system that emphasises speed over quality, says the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (MF). The Chief Inspector concludes that the target of concluding 90% of asylum cases in six months is unachievable. The report findings echo the MF’s own concerns about the impact of UK Border Agency’s focus on targets.
-
24 Feb 2010The Government’s preoccupation with meeting targets may be leading to the unfair and inappropriate detention of women fleeing severe human rights abuses including torture, exposing them to further trauma and leaving them without protection. That is the view of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture (MF), whose clinicians play a key role in documenting evidence of such abuse, and whose findings feature in a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).