News | Freedom from Torture

Decision-making | Freedom from Torture

Survivor activism | Freedom from Torture

Take action | Freedom from Torture

Research collaboration | Freedom from Torture

Sorry, we can't find that page... | Freedom from Torture

Detention | Freedom from Torture

What's on | Freedom from Torture

Fighting torture | Freedom from Torture

Creative groups | Freedom from Torture

Two adjacent links should not point to the same destination. You almost always want to combine the 
two links.

For example, it is quite common to link an image and text together like this:

```html
<a href="news.html">
    <img src="photo.jpg" alt="" />
</a>
<a href="news.html">
    News
</a>
``` 

These adjacent links should be combined like so:

```html
<a href="news.html">
    <img src="photo.jpg" alt="" />
    News
</a>
``` 

Links to `#` are ignored, as these are nearly always placeholders for JavaScript, e.g.:

```html
<a href="#" onclick="approve()">
    OK
</a>
<a href="#" onclick="reject()">
    Cancel
</a>
```

# Justification

Many users of assistive technology are only able to experience content sequentially - that is, they must
step through each part of the page, one part at a time. Often this is a slow process, potentially 
hampered by a physical impediment.

Stepping through redundant links is time consuming; for example users of a screen reader must 
hear each link read aloud in turn. 

This also simplifies your code. 

# Methodology

1. Find all links (`<a>` tags) on the page.
2. Ignore links pointing to `#`, as these are usually placeholders for JavaScript.
3. Flag links which are (a) separated only by whitespace and (b) which point to the 
   same absolute URL.  

# Learn more

Read about [Technique H2](https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/H2) on how to combine
an adjacent image and texts links.

duplicate-adjacent-link

May 2025

April 2025

Freedom from Torture

Title / URL	Issues
News \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/news-and-stories	25
Decision-making \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/asylum-and-rights/decision-making	25
Survivor activism \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/survivor-activism	25
Take action \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-you-can-do/take-action	25
Research collaboration \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/about-us/research-collaboration	25
Sorry, we can't find that page... \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/invented-url-for-404-page	25
Detention \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/asylum-and-rights/detention	25
What's on \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-you-can-do/whats-on	25
Fighting torture \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/fighting-torture	25
Creative groups \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/what-we-do/therapy-and-support/creative-groups	25

Combine adjacent links with the same destination

Freedom from Torture

Where this issue has occurred