Paying tribute to the remarkable, courageous women who receive treatment at our centres across the UK

This International Women's Day, Freedom from Torture pays tribute to the remarkable, courageous women who receive treatment at our centres across the UK.

Last year more than 270 women were referred to Freedom from Torture for services. Many of these women were detained and tortured in their home countries for standing up for their rights.

One of these women is Faith from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Faith worked at a charity that advocated for the rights of rape victims and provided them with school fees, medicine and clothing.

In early 2013, she organised an anti-rape protest where participants denounced the lack of action by the government to stop sexual violence.

"We were standing against women being raped because the government wasn't doing anything about it," explains Faith. "The value of women is not recognised in Congo so I felt we had to stand up and show our value and make our voices heard."

The morning after the peaceful demonstration, armed soldiers came to her door to arrest her.

"One of them said "you are talking about rape, now we'll show you what rape means". They raped my niece in front of us. Then they took me to prison."

"One of them said "you are talking about rape, now we'll show you what rape means". They raped my niece in front of us. Then they took me to prison."

"Most women when they are in prison in DRC experience sexual abuse and rape – things like that. I know that now because I have been there and experienced it. The soldiers and the prison guards, they don't see women as human beings, they don't see any value in women. They just do what they want with them when they are in prison. I can't even remember how many times I was raped."

Last year, Freedom from Torture released a report demonstrating how rape, including gang rape and multiple rape, is used routinely by state officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to punish politically active women.

Rape as Torture in the DRC: Sexual Violence Beyond the Conflict Zone analyses evidence from 34 forensic medical reports written by specially trained doctors at Freedom from Torture and clearly indicates that rape is used as torture by state security forces in prisons across the country to stop women speaking out.

Juliet Cohen, Freedom from Torture's Head of Doctors said:

"This rape is clearly persecutory: the brutal and repeated sexual violence these women experience while being held in state facilities is a deliberate attempt to humiliate, punish and control not only these individuals, but also the whole group to which they belong.

"Most women when they are in prison in DRC experience sexual abuse and rape – things like that. I know that now because I have been there and experienced it. The soldiers and the prison guards, they don't see women as human beings, they don't see any value in women... I can't even remember how many times I was raped."

"The women know they have little or no chance of redress and describe feelings of hopelessness, powerlessness and despair, which is exactly what the perpetrators intended."

Freedom from Torture's latest referral figures show another 34 women from the Democratic Republic of Congo were referred for treatment in 2014, this is compared to 11 men from the same country. While we have not yet fully analysed these new cases, these figures strongly suggest that, in spite of the dangers, women are continuing to stand up for what they believe.

Faith paid an enormous personal cost for standing up for what she believed in, and this International Women's Day we'll leave you with her words:

"I still feel that it was my duty to speak up. I have no regret about standing up for young women and men. My only regret is that I have ended up here alone without my husband and children. I didn't think that I would have to leave my country."