to assess, within a reasonable time after the
submission of an asylum application, whether
applicants are in need of special procedural
guarantees. If so, adequate support must be
provided to the applicant.
through individual sessions, if necessary.
Where appropriate, asylum seekers and
refugees receive individual treatment
specifically targeting PTSD symptoms. 40
Training
Findings point to limited formal screening
procedures to identify asylum seekers who
are victims of torture or experienced severe
trauma. Victims of torture and traumatised
applicants are mostly identified during health
screenings and/or during the registration or
eligibility interview. The effectiveness of
screening mechanisms rests on the obligation
to systematically apply them, which is a major
concern as most efforts of identification
appear to be ad-hoc or depending on some
form of self-identification (for example in
Greece 31 and Hungary 32). Other stakeholders
contacted for this report underlined that
identification is primarily based on obvious
signs of physical abuse and psychological
distress (Austria, 33 Greece 34).
In the absence of official screening,
identifying persons who experienced torture
or are traumatised relies heavily on the
expertise and knowledge of individual staff.
Article 4 (3) of the Asylum Procedures
Directive and Article 25 (2) of the Reception
Conditions Directive require EU Member
States to ensure that staff working with or
interviewing victims of torture receive
adequate training.
In spite of training efforts, staff working with
asylum applicants often lack the necessary
knowledge, skills and experience to identify
victims of torture – as reported by
stakeholders interviewed in Denmark, 41
Finland, 42 Italy, 43 and Spain. 44 The knowledge
of individual staff may also vary among
different reception centres or units, as
reported, for example, in Finland. 45
Existing
medical
checks
for
applicants
for
international
protection are not adequate for
ensuring
the
systematic
identification of victims of torture
or traumatised people.
The Istanbul Protocol: Manual on
Effective
Investigation
and
Documentation of Torture and
Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment provides
useful guidelines for assessments
of persons who allege torture and
ill-treatment,
for
investigating
cases of alleged torture, and for
reporting findings to the judiciary or
other investigative bodies. 46 The
manual is a frequently used training
tool. For example, in Spain, it forms
part of the training for all personnel
entitled to use force. 47
In Austria, for example, health checks for new
arrivals do not include a psychological
screening. 35 In France, only unaccompanied
children are systematically screened.36 In
Finland, not all asylum seekers undergo basic
medical checks. 37 Where an asylum applicant
reports severe human rights violations and
comes from a country where torture is
documented, there is not necessarily a follow
up. 38 In Greece, not all new arrivals to
hotspots undergo psychosocial assessments
and medical screening, despite the legal
provisions in place. 39
In contrast, in 2016, the United Nations (UN)
Committee against Torture noted its concern
about the manual’s absence from trainings for
police staff, or for civilian and medical
personnel who participate in the care and
treatment of individuals who are arrested,
detained or imprisoned in France. 48 At the
same time, eligibility officers at the French
Office for the Protection of Refugees and
Stateless Persons (Office français de
The Danish NGO Dignity is implementing a
new measure for the early identification of
torture victims, which targets newly arrived
and possibly traumatised asylum seekers and
refugees, in four municipalities. The Red Cross
and the social services in these municipalities
refer such persons for a clinical assessment.
Following this, their state of health is
stabilised through work in small groups and
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