Podcasthon 2026 Special: How Freedom From Torture Helps Survivors Heal

"An estimated one person in three seeking asylum in the UK has experienced torture in their home country."

This is a bonus episode of Humanism Now, recorded as part of Podcasthon 2026: the global initiative uniting podcasters to raise awareness for charitable causes. 

This year, we are supporting Freedom from Torture, a UK charity that has spent more than 40 years providing specialist therapeutic care, rehabilitation, and advocacy to survivors of torture. Their work centres on restoring dignity, safety, and hope to people who have endured unimaginable harm and campaigning to hold perpetrators accountable worldwide.

We are delighted to be joined by Ann Salter, Head of Clinical Services Northwest at Freedom from Torture, who has worked clinically with survivors of torture for over 20 years.

How to support Freedom from Torture

• Donate
• Get involved in their campaigns
• Refer yourself or someone else for support

Things we discuss

• How Freedom from Torture has supported survivors for 40 years 
• The shocking scale of torture globally — and why it still demands our attention 
• The psychological impact of torture and what recovery really looks like 
• Why community belonging is central to rehabilitation 
• Freedom from Torture's role in the Pinochet case and blocking the Rwanda deportation scheme

About Podcasthon

Podcasthon is a global initiative uniting podcasters around the world to shine a light on the charities and causes that matter. If you host a podcast and want to get involved, find out more and register at podcasthon.org.

Transcript

About Podcasthon & Freedom from Torture

James Hogson 0:02

Welcome to Humanism Now, a podcast about secular ethics, curiosity, and compassionate change. I'm your host, James Hodgson. This is a special episode part of Podcast a Thon 2026. Podcastathon is a global initiative encouraging podcasters to raise awareness for charitable causes. Today we're highlighting the work of Freedom from Torture, a UK-based charity supporting tortured survivors for more than 40 years. Freedom from Torture provides specialist therapeutic care, rehabilitation, and advocacy to help survivors rebuild their lives and to hold perpetrators accountable. Their work centres around restoring dignity, safety, and hope to people who have endured unimaginable harm. Joining me today is Anne Solter. Anne has worked for Freedom from Torture for 14 years. She is currently the head of Clinical Services Northwest and based in Freedom from Torture's Manchester Centre. Anne has worked as a clinician with young people and adults who are survivors of torture for over 20 years. So thank you so much for joining us on this special Podcastathon episode of Humanism Now.

History & Purpose of FFT

Ann Salter, Freedom from Torture 1:07

Thank you. I'm very pleased to be here.

James Hogson 1:09

To begin, could you perhaps provide some background on the work of freedom from torture, the history of the organization, and what do you do in practice today?

Speaker 1 1:20

Yeah, of course. We're a really interesting organization in that we were founded in 1985 as the medical foundation for care of victims of torture. And we were founded by Helen Bamber, who is a great clinician who was working with Amnesty, Amnesty International. So we're the sister organization of Amnesty to provide the care for those who have been tortured, care and rehabilitation. Our main goal is for the rehabilitation of survivors of torture. So people who have been through the most unimaginable harm you can imagine. And what we do is that we work, I guess, from an empowerment model, because the hard work of rehabilitation is the survivors themselves. It's them that have to go through the trauma, to live with the trauma, to rebuild bonds of trust and mutual understanding with people that have been broken very deliberately by the torture that they have experienced at the hands of states. And the work that we do is the rehabilitation, but we also work to advocate on behalf of survivors of torture and to campaign against torture globally.

James Hogson 2:51

And I think many listeners might be surprised to learn that the torture is so prevalent still in the world. Yeah. And that we still require a charity doing the great work that you do. How common is torture on a global scale today?

Speaker 1 3:05

That's in some ways, that's a difficult question to answer. But we do know, unfortunately, tragically, that torture is still a common tool, if you like, that is used by states. And we know that at Freedom from Torture because of the vast array of countries that our service users come from, where they have experienced torture and extreme cruelty. So I would say that it is widespread. I'm not sure about common, but it is widespread. And we can say that in countries like the UK, of those seeking asylum, an estimated one person in three has experienced torture in their home country. And that's quite a shocking statistic. And it's not surprising for those of us who work in this organization.

James Hogson 3:58

That really brings it to light the experiences that people will have been through.

Speaker 1 4:01

Absolutely, it does. Yeah.

Ann’s Role And Survivor Clinicians

James Hogson 4:03

And you've mentioned you've been with the organization for nearly 15 years. Could you tell us a little bit more about your role and day-to-day involvement working with survivors?

Speaker 1 4:16

Sure. So my role is head of clinical services in the Northwest team. What that means is that we have, I have, I guess I'm privileged to have very close contact with our service users, both as a clinician myself. I still see and work with our clients to clinically and therapeutically to overcome trauma and to live with trauma. And also I oversee, generally, I oversee our client group. I work with our dedicated team of clinicians and wider staff to make sure that we're doing the best job that we can to provide a good service to support the rehabilitation with survivors of torture. And one thing that we have been developing for a long time at Freedom from Torture, and something that's happened just very recently is that we have appointed survivors themselves, people with lived experience, to clinical roles. So very deliberately understanding that those with the lived experience are best placed to deliver with support clinical services.

James Hogson 5:35

That's wonderful. So really getting those with lived experience, working within the charity, within the organization, helping those who are finding you for the first time.

Referrals And Accessing Support

Speaker 1 5:43

Absolutely. And that's been happening for a long time in the organization, and it's a really key part of our model. And we are just embarking on a new phase of that long-standing work, which I'm really privileged to be part of.

James Hogson 6:06

And it's also obviously difficult to get sort of facts and statistics about this because, of course, it's rarely going to be publicly available. So I'm wondering how survivors typically find you. If anybody is listening who can know someone or themselves may seek your services, how typically do they come into contact with the organization?

Asylum System Stress And Hostility

Speaker 1 6:28

So many of our referrals come from healthcare professionals. So GPs are a very common way. And other organizations, other support organizations will refer to us. But survivors themselves can refer themselves to our service. And the easiest way to do that would be to go on our website if that's possible and to follow the links. And for people who would struggle to do that for whatever reason, phone call is enough to start the process of a referral.

James Hogson 7:02

You mentioned as well that many survivors will be seeking asylum in the UK or have come to the UK. What are some of the challenges that arise for survivors navigating the asylum system and resettlement in UK, specifically in this area?

Long-term Psychological Effects

Speaker 1 7:17

Okay. It's a really arduous process often for people. I think it needn't be, but it is. Some of the challenges include structural challenges. So imagine arriving somewhere, seeking safety, often having left family, having to flee for your life, not knowing if family are still alive sometimes. And then being met with a system where instead of being treated often fairly and with compassion, being met with hostility and blocks, the navigating the system can be extremely difficult for people. Sometimes accommodation is difficult. People are having to live with very little, I guess, with very little support, often.

James Hogson 8:13

And what can be some of the psychological impacts that perhaps we don't consider as well when someone is going through rehabilitation or resettling in a new country, particularly when they've been through, as you say, some of the most unimaginable harms?

Speaker 1 8:28

So there are some really clear psychological impacts. One that sometimes people may not may not consider is it can be very difficult to build trust with people. And we hear that from our clients. We hear that sometimes the first time they come into our centre and meet one of our clinicians, it takes time to understand that this person is trustworthy, that our clients can trust us to help them really, to work with them, to help them. So that shattering of trust and relationships is one of things that can affect people. But also living with ongoing, the way that the trauma works is that the memories from the past, the memories of the ill treatment, of the torture, are experienced as if they're happening right now. So people can be completely terrified in a flashback because it's as if they are right back in that place happening. And flashbacks can be triggered by so many things. For example, sirens, and I live in the centre of Manchester, work in the centre of Manchester. Sirens are a like everyday, hourly occurrence. Seeing people in uniforms, seeing a van of a particular colour. There are so many things that can trigger flashbacks. So this is what people are living with day in and day out.

Community Belonging As Rehabilitation

James Hogson 10:03

And I guess these are very difficult things for most of us to imagine or comprehend. I imagine there's a lot of building of empathy and understanding. How can we as a society help make that transition easier? I guess this is the work that you do, right? You help with this transition. And but are there wider considerations and changes that people can have every day?

Speaker 1 10:25

No, it's a really good point. We can't do this work in isolation. I mean, that's for sure. And clearly our service users, they are skilled and develop the skills themselves, hopefully with support from us, to build those links and communities. But it is very much community-based. We really need communities to welcome people, to invite people into community spaces where people can start rebuilding those relationships and start having reconnecting often with the person they were before, because the people who we see come from such a wide range of backgrounds. People have been running their own businesses, teachers, engineers, as farmers, carers for families, just the whole range. And when that's when something, when torture is used to break that in people, that's what the whole community needs to do to support rehabilitation. So anyone who's listening to this, everyone has a role in creating the kind of society that we need for rehabilitation.

James Hogson 11:44

And do you see an important role then for social groups, organized community groups, whether it's a sports team, supporting a team, like we have our humanist groups, if people are of interest, or indeed faith groups as well, that where people can be referred to and that I guess it's something to belong to, but they don't have to dwell on these experiences.

Speaker 1 12:03

Absolutely. And I think that's what those groups can do complements the work that we do so well. And I know that we speak to some of our service users who do take part in groups. So, for example, horticultural groups. We've got a local organization in Manchester that is an allotment group, football groups, sports groups, faith groups, non-faith groups, all the things that we might take for granted in our community. Just to be able to belong to things like that and have a way of expressing humanity, I would say, is really important.

James Hogson 12:45

That's really powerful statements. And do you have local groups or stay in touch with other volunteers, members of the community, that then you can refer people to? Where again, because I appreciate that transition can may be challenging for people where trust may be needing to be relearned. So do you work with local groups or allow people to find their own?

Meaningful Milestones and Achievements

Speaker 1 13:04

We do have groups that we, you know, we can signpost people to that do amazing work. And we learn about groups from our service users because we do cover a wide region, a wide area, and there are always, you know, always places that people go and people find that it's really good for us to learn about.

James Hogson 13:28

So you recently passed 40 years as an organization in this space. Of course, as you mentioned, we've discussed the work remains challenging and there's a lot to do, but I'm sure there's been many achievements in that time. Are there any milestones, achievements that stand out to you as particularly meaningful?

Speaker 1 13:47

Yes. So in 1998, freed from torture played an important role in bringing Pinochet to justice. And I am sure everyone will recognise the name of Pinochet, and certainly that dictatorship and that horrendous dictatorship was something I was very conscious of, but when I was growing up. So to find out that FFT, Freedom from Torture, really played a part in that was lovely news for me, good news for me. I'd also highlight the opening of the Manchester Centre. Our service in the Northwest region started in 2003, because I'm based here in Manchester. That's particular note for me and the really important we do in the Northwest region. We did also start the national network of torture survivors in 2006. This was a really innovative survivor speak out, the first national network of torture survivors and of our previous clients. And 2023, I would talk about our Rwanda scheme. So I'm sure listeners will remember it's very recently where there was the government of the time were proposing to send people to Rwanda, send all people seeking asylum in the UK to Rwanda, the organization Freedom from Torture. This was ruled and lawful. And freedom from torture had a really key part to play in that.

James Hogson 15:23

Wow. So some huge real-world impacts or global impacts, I should say. And do you happen to know or have to hand the number of people that you've uh helped?

How To Support And Be An Ally

Speaker 1 15:33

Oh, that would be a good number to have. I'm afraid I don't, but what I can say, it's many from many countries throughout the world.

James Hogson 15:42

And if listeners would like to support your work, what is the best way to contact and support?

Speaker 1 15:50

It would be great if people could look at our website and have a look at the range of ways that people can contribute. Of course, we're a charity, so people can make donations. However, there are other ways and other really important ways to support the work that we do. Get involved in any campaigns that we are doing would be really important, really wonderful. And I would say as well about being when we are, and I'm sure listeners are aware, the extent of the hostile environment that people who've come to the UK seeking safety are experiencing and are faced with. So to be a voice in support, to be an ally, to be part of a welcoming community is almost, I would say, one of the most important things that any of us can do. And I include myself. I work here for Freedom from Torture. However, I am also a citizen, a resident of Manchester. We can all be part of welcoming communities.

Changing Minds After Northern Ireland

James Hogson 17:01

Such a wonderful message to end on. Listeners, please do check out the fantastic work of Freedom from Torture. But I love that closing message of just being a welcoming community as well, is so powerful as well. So before we go, we do have our standard closing question, which we typically have on our humanism now episodes, which is what's something which you've changed your mind on and what inspired that change?

Speaker 1 17:27

Such an interesting question. And I have thought that when I was growing up, the conflict in Northern Ireland was just ongoing and on and ongoing. It was there almost for me as a backdrop. And then in 1996, I was in the centre of Manchester with my two-year-old son when the IRA bomb exploded, the biggest land bomb since the Second World War. So that devastated everything. So I had so many different thoughts and emotions about the whole of that period. However, what really changed for me was a BBC documentary in 2023 called Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland. And what that documentary did, it took testimony from people from all sides of the conflict who lived through it, who 25 years after the Good Friday Agreement were reflecting and talking about how that devastating conflict had shaped their lives and made them the people they were today. And it's almost the most powerful thing I've watched on television, I would almost say ever. And it really changed the way I saw that. And it also gave me hope because my work involves working with people who've been through the most horrendous conflicts. And that there is some hope, is part of what I would say.

Closing Thanks And Listener Support

James Hogson 19:05

Well, thank you. Yes. And um it's clear that your work, the charity's work, is built on hope, reconciliation, rehabilitation. So thank you for obviously everything that you do, and Salter from Freedom of Torture. Thank you so much for joining us on Humanism Now.

Humanise Live 19:19

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