CAT/C/39/2 page 17 46. The Committee also received another NGO report describing the Government of Brazil’s efforts to implement the recommendations of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the question of Torture.26 The addendum to the report described the current status (as of the year 2003) of alleged individual torture cases contained in the Special Rapporteur’s report.27 47. According to well-documented reports submitted by NGOs, torture in Brazil is systematically practised by different public officials (police, prison officials, monitors in detention centres for minors, etc) during questioning and at all stages of detention. The reports highlight several issues: the difficulties that victims and persons in detention centres encounter in being heard by official organs in light of the fact that the investigation of complaints of torture are carried out solely by police officers; the lack of involvement of the Public Prosecutor’s Office in investigations of allegations of torture; and the impunity of police officers and other officials repeatedly accused of torture. 48. The NGOs denounced the lack of effective public policies to end the systematic practice of torture in Brazil. They noted that, the National Campaign against Torture, launched in June 2001, has been highly criticized as constituting a marketing strategy of the Government which has been limited to the creation of a national centre for the registration of complaints. They claimed that the disque denuncia hotline was set up in such a way that it placed an improper burden upon the victim to come forward to denounce a violation. The resources allocated by the Government to support the campaign were also said to be insufficient. 49. With regard to the 1997 law prohibiting torture, NGOs considered it an important step, although they pointed out that the definition of torture included in the law also covers acts committed by private individuals, hence shifting the focus of the prohibition of torture from State officials. 50. The NGOs highlighted the low number of public officials sentenced for acts of torture, in light of the fact that torture is commonly practised in Brazil. Furthermore, according to them, as of November 2002, no State agent has been convicted for acts of torture under this law. They pointed out that the lack of independence of the organs responsible for investigating acts of torture and ill-treatment committed by the police, i.e. the ouvidorias and corregedorias, are under the control of the same institution that is being accused of these practices. The police ouvidorias are linked to the state government, given that the ouvidor is a political appointee. The 26 “Torture in Brazil: implementation of the recommendations of the UN Rapporteur” August 2003. Report prepared by the following organizations: the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), Grupo Tortura Nunca Mais do Rio de Janeiro, Ação dos Cristãos para a Abolição da Tortura (ACAT), Comissão Pastoral da Terra de Xinguara (CPT), Comissão Teotônio Vilela, Gabinete de Assesoria Juridica a Associacoes Populares (GAJOP-DHInternacional), Justiça Global, Movimento Nacional de Direitos Humanos (MNDH), and Sociedade Paraense de Defensa dos Direitos Humanos (SDDH). 27 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the question of Torture (E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2, dated 30 March 2005).