Refugee agencies may form partnership

Helen Bamber, director of the Medical Centre for Victims of Torture, gave a graphic account of her experiences as a young woman working with liberated prisoners from Belsen concentration camp at the end of World War Two, when she addressed the Annual General Meeting of Oaklands Refugee Services in Honor Oak, South London, on Thursday. Those early experiences led her to set up the Foundation, which now provides medical and psychiatric treatment for thousands of torture victims from around the world. Ms Bamber praised the work done by Oaklands and suggested that the Foundation might form a partnership with Oaklands for the provision of asylum seekers whom doctors at the Foundation felt should be housed in London because of their need for treatment. Fr Nick Martin from Oaklands said: "This was heartening news for us as we are rather concerned about the fact that the authorities are starting to disperse asylum seekers outside London. If someone has been tortured, yet another journey could just add to their suffering. It will be a relief if they can stay with us and be professionally treated."