“
My office promotes a zero-tolerance approach to acts of torture and ill-treatment, and calls on all OSCE
participating States to intensify efforts to take persistent and effective measures to prevent and combat
torture and to give full support to holistic, victim-centred and long-term rehabilitation services that enable
victims to rebuild their lives and dignity as human beings,”
Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR)
The geographical and contextual spread of examples presented in this tool reflect many of the key challenges
involved in implementing torture victims’ right to rehabilitation. These include issues of safety; of trust and
confidentiality when victims access services in the countries where they were tortured; of how to expand postconflict programmes to support contemporary victims; of how asylum seekers and refugees can access the
support they are entitled to; and of how to best ensure effective access to highly specialized services in public
health systems.
IMPACT OF TORTURE ON THE INDIVIDUAL,
FAMILY AND SOCIETY
Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment can have devastating consequences for
victims, their families and the broader community.4 The severe physical and psychological impact of these acts
can disrupt victims’ lives and create barriers preventing them from building interpersonal relations, pursuing
professional goals or continuing with their personal development, all of which are essential for a person to lead
a fulfilling life and interact with their families and communities. Physical and psychological suffering resulting
from torture can last for decades and impacts not only the victims but also their families, including children. The
impact can be exacerbated in situations where torture is
based on or reinforces historic patterns of discrimination,
and where individual vulnerabilities affect the road to
Rehabilitation programs tailored to the
recovery. Understanding the impacts of torture on the
needs of torture victims enable their
individual, family and society is an important pre-requisite
resilience and empowerment, restore
for designing appropriate rehabilitation programmes and
their dignity and have long-lasting
policies.
effects felt in the individual’s community
“
Rehabilitation helps torture victims rebuild their lives
through a combination of services, including medical,
psychological, legal and social support. It is a process that
supports the agency of victims and empowers them. It also
takes into account individual needs and identities, as well
as the cultural, social and political background and specific
environment. Rehabilitation services positively impact the
health and well-being of victims, their families and wider
communities. Rehabilitation enables victims to sustain
4
and society as a whole. Also, the
successful provision of redress to victims
can have a preventive effect towards the
non-recurrence of further human rights
violations and the anchoring of societies
in the rule of law.”
Mikolaj Pietrzak, Chairperson, United
Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture
(UNVFVT)
Henceforth, the tool will use the term “torture” to refer to all acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment.
TOOL: Providing Rehabilitation to Victims of Torture and Other Ill-treatment
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