E/CN.4/1993/26 page 129 IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 579. The first sentence of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the mother-document of all human rights instruments, reads: "Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world." Torture is exactly the opposite of what is referred to here, since torture is the very denial by the torturer of his victim's inherent dignity. The breaking of bones, horrible as it is, is only a tool to obtain the result which is really intended by the torturer: the breaking of the personality, of the other's will. What makes torture particularly repulsive is that very often its long-term effects are not so much physical as psychological. The broken, disintegrated personality will never heal; the inherent dignity of the victim is irreparably tainted. 580. A particularly despicable assault on human dignity is rape. Women are afflicted in the most sensitive part of their personality and the long-term effects are bound to be extremely harmful whereas in most cases the necessary psychological treatment and care can and will not be afforded. It is mind-boggling indeed to read in the report of the Special Rapporteur on Yugoslavia that in Bosnia and Herzegovina rape is deliberately practised as yet another method of expressing contempt and hatred for the ethnic group which the unfortunate victims are made to symbolize. 581. As ignominious is the torture of children who are still in their formative stage and who, as a result of the torture they had to endure, will be seriously hampered in developing a balanced and stable personality. The Special Rapporteur was appalled by a number of communications containing allegations of torture practised against children at a time when the international community loudly proclaims that children are entitled to special protection. 582. The fact that torture is the absolute negation of human dignity and human rights caused the international community to step up its campaign against torture. We should be aware, however, that torture is only the final link in a long chain. The seeds of torture are sown whenever a society tolerates situations where respect for the human dignity of fellow citizens is taken lightly. The situation in the former Yugoslavia is a vivid illustration of this. Lack of respect for the inherent dignity of fellow human beings just because they belong to a different ethnic group has led to a situation where torture, rape and murder are rampant. 583. It is, therefore, no coincidence that the Human Rights Committee updated simultaneously its general comments on articles 7 and 10 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in April 1992 (A/47/40, annex VI). 584. In one of his previous reports (E/CN.4/1988/17, para. 55) the Special Rapporteur said that there was a sliding scale which extended from treatment of detainees which was not in conformity with the provision of article 10, paragraph 1 of the International Covenant, which states that "all persons deprived of their liberty shall be treated with humanity and with respect for the inherent dignity of the human person", through inhuman or degrading treatment to real torture. The Human Rights Committee expressed the same view