BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING TORTURE PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Torture prevention strategies can assist in:
oo identifying short-, mid- and long-term goals
oo r esponding effectively to a particular incident,
recovery after an historical period of abuse
or in post-conflict and transitional contexts
oo building capacity within and across departments
oo strengthening the administration of justice,
rule of law, and independence of the judiciary
oo i mproving practices on the part of specific
authorities, such as law enforcement,
security, prisons, or health sectors
oo improving coordination and “joined up thinking”
across ministries, departments and services
oo preparing budgets and operational plans to
apply resources where they are most needed
oo identifying the need for technical support and
capacity building from donors and external experts
oo preparing requests for assistance and funding
oo highlighting publicly where steps have
been taken and progress made
ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER WHEN DEVELOPING
A TORTURE PREVENTION STRATEGY
prevention
When developing a torture prevention strategy it may be useful to
consider and reflect upon the five broad themes that the principal
obligations of UNCAT fall under; these provide guidance on the
range of issues to be considered.
From the beginning it is useful to consider how and by whom the
strategy will be implemented in practice, including identifying the
government entities with overall responsibility for implementing
different parts of the strategy.
prohibition
redress
UNCAT
punishment
reporting
PRINCIPAL OBLIGATIONS OF THE UNCAT
Achieving the goals will be easier if they are action-orientated and “SMART” i.e. specific, measurable, achievable,
realistic and time-bound. Therefore it is useful if a torture prevention strategy contains the following elements:
An overview of the current
situation, identifying
specific areas to be
addressed by the strategy
Concrete details
of the actions
that will be taken
An indication of
who is to take
which actions
The timeframe in
which each action
will be taken
Details of how
progress will be
monitored and
evaluated
Good strategies indicate those actions to be taken in the short and medium term and those which will be longer
term goals.
Periodically reviewing progress on the implementation of a torture prevention strategy can provide an
opportunity to highlight achievements made to date and ensure the strategy remains relevant. A review can
also critically evaluate and build upon lessons learnt from previous actions. If a strategy sets out clearly defined
indicators of progress, including timeframes, this can make the process of review easier. Therefore it is helpful to
consider how the strategy will be reviewed at the outset of its development.
TOOL: State strategies to prevent and respond to torture and other ill-treatment or punishment
2/8