A/65/273 circumstances. There are other examples of rehabilitation centres providing unmatched services, yet many prefer to keep a low profile because of the dangers of public exposure resulting from the nature of their work. 70. Rehabilitation centres deserve appreciation and full support for their courage and for the determination with which they continue against the odds to accept patients and care for them in an uncompromising manner. While some medical institutions, such as State hospitals, may succumb to pressure exerted by the police or the military and turn a blind eye when it comes to documenting torture, the rehabilitation centres rigorously and consistently uphold professional and ethical medical standards. Ultimately, to attack a torture rehabilitation centre is to attack the victims of torture who have already suffered abuse and are in need of treatment. B. Lack of financial resources 71. As earlier emphasized, international human rights law places States under the obligation to ensure that victims of torture are provided with the means for as full physical and psychological rehabilitation as possible, implying the establishment or support of torture rehabilitation centres. At the same time, one has to realize that the majority of torture survivors do not have access to adequate treatment. Most centres, where they do exist, are overburdened by the number of victims, and their staff members constantly operate on the verge of exhaustion. This distressing situation is largely attributable to the limited financial support for rehabilitation centres. Reflecting this impasse, the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, as one of the main sources of funding for rehabilitation centres worldwide, receives grant requests every year for more than double the resources it is provided with by a relatively small number of donor States. In its 2009 report, the Board of Trustees of the Fund held out the prospect of a financial gap of 3 million United States dollars, which would equate to a reduction of its grants by 20 per cent unless State contributions increase. Furthermore, the recent global financial crisis has had a tangible impact on many centres, forcing them to cut back existing services because funding from private foundations has decreased. The Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, in Pristina, which has carried out excellent work, is facing closure in December 2010 because of a lack of funding. In Greece, the Medical Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, in Athens, closed in 2009 for lack of funding, resulting in a complete lack of rehabilitation centres for torture victims. 72. While the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture and international donors such as the European Union (EU), as well as private foundations, are the most important sources of support for rehabilitation centres, it has to be noted that Governments fall overwhelmingly short of their obligation and leave domestic centres and torture survivors struggling. The Special Rapporteur interprets this shortcoming as a further example of the prevalent reluctance on the part of States to deal with the issue of torture in a rigorous manner and to acknowledge the scope of the problem. The unwillingness to ensure adequate funding of domestic rehabilitation centres is a manifestation of the same attitude of taking torture prevention lightly that results in failure to investigate crimes perpetrated by State agents and to eventually hold them accountable. 73. The lack of funding for rehabilitation centres is by no means limited to poor States or States where torture may be rife, but also holds true for States which are 10-48049 17