Torture is an experience without parallel; it is capable of causing a wide range of physical and psychological suffering. At the psychological level, torture places the victim in a position of helplessness end distress powerful enough to produce mental and emotional damage regardless of his pre-torture psychological status. The psychological effects of torture, however, occur in the context of personal meaning, personality development, and social, political, and cultural factors.
The Reporting Killings as Human Rights Violations Handbook is a reference guide for anyone who wishes to know how to take action in response to allegations of suspicious deaths. It explains, simply and clearly, how the process of reporting and submitting complaints to international bodies and mechanisms actually works; how to make the most of it: how you might go about documenting allegations, what you can do with the information once it has been collected, how to choose between the various mechanisms according to your particular objectives, and how to present your information in a way which makes it most likely that you will obtain a response.
Assistance in “complex humanitarian emergencies” has remained largely unchanged or unchallenged since the end of World War II. One dilemma for international policy makers is that they do not have a scientific methodology for assessing the cultural, political, and social meanings of trauma in the lives of civilian populations and how these traumatic experiences alter the everyday lives of the affected individuals.
This Handbook describes how to document and respond to allegations of torture within the international system for the protection of human rights. Also available in Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, Spanish and Turkish.
Adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by UN General Assembly resolution 39/46 of 10 December 1984.
Model questionnaire to be completed by persons alleging torture or their representatives and sent to the Special Rapporteur on torture.
Manual on the Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Information about support for torture survivors in the UK. REDRESS has produced this Handbook to help torture survivors meet the varied problems which they face. To make this easier it has been divided into two parts.
A Manual for bringing criminal and civil proceedings in England and Wales for torture committed abroad.
This manual is a guide to psychosocial interventions to help people cope with the emotional effects of disasters.
In recent years, we have learned a great deal about the responses of children, families and communities to traumatic events.We have learned how disasters victimize children in many ways; they can disrupt families and communities, destroy homes and separate children from their loved ones. Children’s responses to trauma differ from those of adults and are based on a combination of factors: preexisting temperament, the nature of the trauma and what services were provided.We know that in times of stress adults and children alike may go through periods of shock, develop physical complaints and become angry, sad and/or scared. Children may also become more irritable or regress in their behavior and worry about the safety of those who care for them.
The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is an independent non-governmental organisation working worldwide to prevent torture and ill-treatment.
The WFMH was founded in 1948 to advance, among all peoples and nations, the prevention of mental and emotional disorders, the proper treatment and care of those with such disorders, and the promotion of mental health. The Federation, with members and contacts in 112 countries on six continents, has responded to the international mental health crisis through its role as the only worldwide grassroots advocacy and public education organization in the mental health field.
Since its start, the WAPR has endeavoured to develop a variety of initiatives that can lead to a better return of persons with mental illnesses back into the community.
Survivors of Torture, International (SOTI) is an independent, non-profit organization founded in 1997 to care for survivors of politically-motivated torture and their families. It is based in San Diego, USA. SOTIs clients come from all over the world.
The Fund was established by General Assembly resolution 36/151 of 16 December 1981 to receive voluntary contributions from Governments, non-governmental organizations and individuals for distribution to non-governmental organizations providing humanitarian assistance to victims of torture and members of their family.
The Committee against Torture was established pursuant to article 17 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and began to function on 1 January 1988.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, in resolution 1985/33, decided to appoint an expert, a special rapporteur, to examine questions relevant to torture. The mandate was extemded for 3 years by Human Rights Council resolution 8/8 in June 2008. It covers all countries, irrespective of whether a State has ratified the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Describes the organizing of sychosocial help during and after the BH war, institutional treatment of psychotraumatized in the frame of mental health service reform program with an overview on the model of psychosocial support and psychiatry-psychological treatment of psychotraumatized persons of Tuzla Canton region.
It is hoped that this research will act as a first step towards a better understanding of what survivors want and expect from reparation. This in turn will help to make the services offered as effective as possible. The survey details what research has already been undertaken in this area and identifies gaps in that research, with a view to determining the needs for additional courses of action.
The NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors provides a holistic range of professional services to facilitate the healing process for refugees who have been exposed to torture and trauma. The service also provides early health assessment and intervention services to newly arrived people from refugee like backgrounds.
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) is an independent, international health professional organization, which promotes and supports the rehabilitation of torture victims and works for the prevention of torture worldwide. The vision of the IRCT is a world that values and accepts shared responsibility for the eradication of torture.
OMCT is today the largest international coalition of NGOs fighting against torture, summary executions, forced disappearances and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in order to preserve Human Rights. It has at its disposal a network, SOS Torture, consisting of some 240 non-governmental organisations which act as sources of information. Its urgent interventions reach daily more than 90,000 governmental and intergovernmental institutions, non-governmental associations, pressure and interest groups.