Links to national health systems – states can use the current resources and expertise they have at their disposal as a base to build on, by encouraging links to national health systems, either as implementing actors, partners or through referrals (to and from specialised rehabilitation centres) Links to national education system — states can integrate education related to assessment (e.g. Istanbul Protocol) and rehabilitation of torture victims as a permanent subject in all relevant fields: justice systems such as police, prison, lawyers and judicial staff, as well as in the basic curricula of health professionals such as psychologists, nurses, social workers, health officers, medical doctors. Multi-faceted services – to reflect the real needs of survivors of torture. They encourage survivors to access services (e.g. mental health) that alone may carry a significant stigma. In addition, the ability to access justice and to enjoy economic, social and cultural rights should be seen as an important part of providing a multi-faceted service to survivors of torture. In addition, the community provides support to victims, avoiding stigmatisation and encouraging victim participation in the rehabilitation dialogue. Safe and secure environment – for survivors of torture to access rehabilitation services and for health and legal professionals to carry out the work. States have a responsibility to ensure providers of rehabilitation services do not face reprisals or intimidation. Priority should be placed on creating a context of confidence and trust in which assistance is provided and in which confidentiality is maintained.6 A lack of security causes additional stress for staff, particularly if there are no procedures in place. Rehabilitation centres need to address staff burnout, for example through care for caregivers programmes. The following tools are available for promoting the right to rehabilitation: General Comment No. 3 on Article 14 of the UNCAT — a legal tool that enables both State Parties and civil society organisations to promote the right to rehabilitation, for example: • Using paragraphs 45 and 46 of the General Comment as a guideline for information that should be included in reports to the Committee on the implementation of the right to rehabilitation (by states and civil society organisations); • Rehabilitation centres can refer to the information outlined in paragraphs 11-15 and 46 as a minimum standard of required information in state reports on rehabilitation services and in the reports civil society organisations provide to the Committee against Torture and other monitoring mechanisms. Human Rights Council Resolution on torture7 – a political tool that recognises the importance of rehabilitation as a component that is required in order to provide an effective remedy to redress torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment: • It calls on states to ensure that appropriate rehabilitation is promptly available to all victims without discrimination; • It emphasises that a state’s role is to provide rehabilitation either directly by the public health system or through funding private rehabilitation services. 6. UN CAT, General Comment no.3 (2012), CAT/C/GC/3, 13 December 2013, paragraphs 13 and 15. 7. UN Human Rights Council Resolution, A/HRC/22/L.11/Rev.1, 19 March 2013. Right to Rehabilitation for Torture Victims, Beirut, Lebanon – 27/28 June 2013 25