Introduction The work of the IRCT The IRCT is an independent, international health-based human rights organisation that promotes and supports the rehabilitation of torture victims, access to justice and the prevention of torture worldwide. The IRCT comprises more than 140 independent organisations in over 70 countries, making it the largest membership-based civil society organisation to work in the field of torture rehabilitation and prevention. As a membership organisation, the IRCT’s members are the focal point for the work of the organisation. Member centres provide expert knowledge and experience of working with victims of torture in diverse environments. The Secretariat works with its membership to develop the organisation’s strategy, policy framework and project-led work. The work of IRCT’s member centres IRCT member centres work within diverse regional, national and local contexts and within varied economic, cultural and political environments. The member centres offer rehabilitation programmes that are oriented towards different target groups and use various methods to address the effects of torture on individuals, families and communities. The member centres participating in this report are all based in asylum-receiving countries and therefore offer a range of services, many of which target asylum-seekers or refugees. The report focuses on the three regions with a predominance of asylum-receiving countries: Europe, North America and the Pacific. The IRCT has considerable presence in all three of these regions: there are 51 member centres in 26 European countries; 31 of these are based in an EU Member State. The IRCT has 19 members in North America, and 10 members in the Pacific region. The centres offer a range of holistic rehabilitation services, including medical, psychological, legal and social support to asylum-seekers. Holistic support is essential for asylum-seekers in order to help them to address the multi-faceted problems that they may face as a result of past traumatic experiences and the post-migration situation in the host country. Structure of the report The report is structured in five parts. Part 1 of the report provides an introduction, outlining the key research objectives and gives an overview of the three regions so as to provide some background information on the asylum procedures in each of the regions (Europe, North America and the Pacific). Part 2 sets out the empirical analysis of the responses to IRCT’s questionnaire. The key findings for each section of the questionnaire are laid out at the beginning of each section, followed by general observations and an analysis for each region. The sections relate to: the identification of victims of torture in the national asylum procedure; the access to medico-legal reports (MLRs) in the national asylum procedure; the provision of medical and psychological assistance to victims of torture; and specific aspects of the national asylum procedure. Part 3 outlines IRCT´s key recommendations for change and ways to overcome the shortfalls in protection that have been identified. To illustrate some of the critical gaps in the protection offered to victims of torture, Part 3 also highlights a number of examples where progress is either being made to strengthen the safeguards afforded to victims of torture in national asylum procedures, or where safeguards are lacking. 6 / Recognising victims of torture in national asylum procedures