Take action | Freedom from Torture

Torture rehabilitation centres in the UK | Freedom from Torture

Campaigning for Refugee Rights | Freedom from Torture

Contact us | Freedom from Torture

Get support | Freedom from Torture

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

40 Day Solidarity Challenge | Freedom from Torture

Freedom from Torture Jobs - Charity Volunteering Opportunities

Our work | Freedom from Torture

About us | 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

December 2025

November 2025

Freedom from Torture

Title / URL	Issues
Take action \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/get-involved/take-action	13
Torture rehabilitation centres in the UK \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/uk-centres	13
Campaigning for Refugee Rights \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/our-work/refugee-rights	10
Contact us \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/contact-us	10
Get support \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/get-support	10
Sorry, we can't find that page... \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/invented-url-for-404-page	10
40 Day Solidarity Challenge \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/events/40-day-solidarity-challenge	10
Freedom from Torture Jobs - Charity Volunteering Opportunitieswww.freedomfromtorture.org/jobs-and-volunteering	10
Our work \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/our-work	10
About us \| Freedom from Torturewww.freedomfromtorture.org/about-us	10

Combine adjacent links with the same destination

Freedom from Torture

Where this issue has occurred