NATIONAL REPORT 2016 Asphyxiation Asphyxiation 2 Choking Smothering 4 Waterboarding 4 5 Drowning 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 The situation for victims of torture and ill-treatment Those most at risk of torture are persons living in impoverished areas and in places where government, security and peace and order operations against armed insurgency and violent activities of non-state armed groups are palpable. Children in conflict with the law (child offenders) and suspected criminals, including those who may have been involved in shady deals with law enforcers, are also at risk but are rarely documented by those mandated to do so by the Anti-Torture Act. Among Balay’s clients more than 10 percent are minors. The situation for victims of torture and ill-treatment in the Philippines is often highly complicated. Due to the torture methods used, they often suffer from severe physical and psychological trauma. This includes open wounds, skin and muscle injuries and PTSD. At the same time, they will often find themselves in very precarious circumstances after torture has taken place. Some are still in pre-trial detention and can stay there for years without having the case against them reviewed by a judge and those who are free often find themselves at continued risk of more torture or other reprisals from the same perpetrators. This may further compound their trauma and severely complicate rehabilitation efforts. Of the 44 detainees found in the secret detention cell in the “wheel of torture” case in Biñan, Laguna in January 2014, only 25 filed complaints according to the Commission on Human Rights(CHR), that said some of the victims felt that they did not need to file a case since they only sustained minor injuries. The Medical Action Group (MAG) conducted medical examination and psychological assessment of 27 victims of “wheel of torture”. Based on the documentation, common forms of torture used by police authorities involved in the “wheel of torture” included psychological torture, verbal abuse, threats to family, mock executions, positional torture such as 30-second bat or “paniki” (Filipino term for bat) and sensory deprivation. page 7