Reflections: Where are we now as a
movement?
What are other stakeholders doing to
implement the right to rehabilitation?
States undergoing transitional justice processes:
state-led initiatives for
reform and rehabilitation. Important opportunity for civil society but
should not be naïve
State actively supports
the rehabilitation of
torture victims: state-led
initiatives in partnership
with NGOs. However,
important rights may be
eroded over time
Minimum availability of
services
Limited availability of services
Greatly increased availability of rehabilitation
initiatives, at least for a
limited time. Importance
of legislation including
rehabilitation measures
Yes, but problems with
adequate identification
and referrals
Often strong communitybased systems emerge
to protect and support
people. But no referral
possibilities for more
severe cases and no
possibilities for satisfaction or guarantees of
non-repetition
NGO services may be appropriate but limited. Services
through state agencies are
limited in quality and quantity,
offered to general population,
may focus on medical rehabilitation and have limited access
to community structures and
processes. Few possibilities for
satisfaction or guarantees of
non-repetition
Potential for highly
appropriate rehabilitation, including opportunities for compensation,
satisfaction, changes to
social/political factors
that enabled torture
Comprehensive, but only
at top levels, medicalization of problems. Working
with refugee populations
so little opportunity for
social change, satisfaction, etc.
Very low, unsafe, long
distances
Issues around safety in state
facilities, language, minority
groups may find it difficult to
access services
Increased accessibility
although some groups
may be disadvantaged
e.g. through inclusion/
exclusion criteria or
discrimination
Open, safe but sometimes
unreachable. State agents
may disable recovery
environment
Accessibility
Context
State agencies use torture to
extract confessions, to control
prisoners, patients, etc., but not
in systematic fashion: NGOs
leading state through policy
and legislative development,
awareness campaigns, training
of personnel, etc.
Availability
Mr Rauno Merisaari (Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Finland) gave an overview of the challenges his
government faces in supporting the rehabilitation of
torture victims. In Finland, two rehabilitation centres,
supported with funding from the Ministry of Social
Care and Health, offer support to asylum-seekers.
The Finnish government gives small grants to local
Appropriateness
Mr Craig Higson-Smith (Center for Victims of Torture,
USA), Dr Nimisha Patel, Dr Lutz Oette and Dr Paul
Bolton reflected on the key findings from each of the
parallel workshops, providing an overview of where
we are as a movement with reference to the key
elements in the right to rehabilitation framework.
Mr Higson-Smith set out a sliding scale of possible
benchmark indicators according to the degree of
torture taking place in a country.
20
State systematically and
actively uses torture to
control population and
those supporting torture
victims: the question of
state-led versus NGO-led
services is meaningless
International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims
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