Introduction

This book has sought to provide a lens which transcends disciplines and perspectives, incorporating intersectional feminism, and a zemiological approach to do so. By now, you may with agree some of the objectives, or with disagree the overall ethos of transcending the definitional boundaries of torture that underpins the central argument. It is an intervention which aims to draw debate rather than situate narrow or polarizing views, and hopefully it does so.

However, while all these aspects have been important, so too is considering responses to survivors. In undertaking interviews, I asked all practitioners across all projects to outline examples of best practice in working with survivors of violence, torture or with refugees (some worked across all these, some with one or two), and to consider what changes could be made to facilitate them to undertake their roles as well as possible. Similarly, as well as observing clear gaps – sometimes voids – in support in asylum centres and immigration detention, I also often asked people seeking asylum what would best support them.

This chapter outlines some of these responses. It draws out key issues and barriers to support in the aftermath of torture, torturous violence, sexualized torture and sexualized torturous violence. It does not seek to provide psychological or therapeutic answers to these questions: that is the role of psychologists, counsellors and psychotraumatologists, and I am none of these. Moreover, there are a plethora of texts, and the Istanbul Protocol (2004), which do this, developed by people with the expertise to do so, and for this there is a suggested reading list at the end of the chapter.

It does, however, offer some perspectives from practitioners working in these fields, as well as those working in managerial roles, legal capacities and in first response positions, specifically, in this case, with people seeking asylum in Europe or living in border camps across continents. Throughout this final chapter, we will consider the strengths and limitations of definitions of torture in practice and explore how the implications of silencing of violence can be structural counteracted. We will then move to consider structural issues which impede individuals’ access to support, including ways in which borders compound the impacts of earlier traumas, and practitioners’ capacity to provide it.