People who are seeking asylum are not a homogeneous population. Coming from different countries and cultures, they have had, in their own and other countries, a wide range of experiences that may affect their mental and physical health and nutritional state. In the United Kingdom they face the effects of poverty, dependence, and lack of cohesive social support. All these factors undermine both physical and mental health.
ACAT(UK) was formed in 1984 by the then British Council of Churches, with the active support of Amnesty International. ACAT is affiliated to the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FiACAT) in Paris, and is a Body in Association with Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. ACAT`s aim is to work, as Christians, for the abolition of torture worldwide. We seek to increase awareness in the Churches and among Christians of the widespread and evil use of torture and the need, for reasons of Christian faith, to campaign for its abolition.