We Can All Be Partners in Protecting Human Rights

Below is an op-ed I wrote as a member of the Executive Committee for the National Consortium for Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP), in recognition of the UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture

June 26th marks a day that may be unfamiliar to many. The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture was established in 1997 to increase the visibility of something that remains far too prevalent in our world today. For many, torture may seem an arcane practice relegated to the pages of history, or a rare occurrence, limited to a few far-flung corners of the world. Yet, there are millions today who are survivors. For the five-year period leading up to 2022, Amnesty International reported torture was carried out in 141 countries, or 75% of the nations in the world. Studies show that an estimated 44% of refugees, asylees, and asylum seekers living in the United States  have experienced torture. With well over 100 million people displaced in the world, it is safe to assume that there are tens of millions of survivors globally.

Refugees and asylum seekers are people who have experienced, or have a well-founded fear of experiencing, persecution due to race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or religion. Torture is unique in that it is persecution or violence carried out by a public official or other person acting in an official capacity, or a private actor to whom the government turns a blind eye. Often, people are targeted because they have participated in protests calling for democratic reforms or are journalists who have published information about an existing regime. These are brave individuals who have knowingly risked their lives in the fight for greater freedom. 

We represent the National Consortium for Torture Treatment Programs, a network of 39 programs in 21 states and the District of Columbia. Our agencies provide mental health care, medical care, legal support, and other social services to survivors who have been forced to flee their original homes and who now reside in the US. Some of our member organizations also have programs supporting survivors in countries outside the US. In recent years we have estimated collectively serving approximately 10,000 torture survivors across the nation, out of two million who live in the US today. 

Healing in the wake of torture is very much possible and requires many different types of support. No one person’s healing journey is the same, and our agencies offer a range of options, so that people can choose the path that best fits them. Survivors are given control over their lives again, and they can start and stop services as they wish, and restart after a pause if they need additional support.

While the clients and community members with whom we work have experienced deep histories of trauma, what unites us in our collective work is a shared belief in hope and the possibilities of healing. Refugees have survived human rights abuses, fled their countries of birth, and endured long, arduous journeys to find greater safety. Their stories are reminders of not only the violence that human beings are capable of inflicting, but a testament to the remarkable strength and perseverance of the human spirit. As service providers, we have the enormous privilege of standing with extraordinarily strong people as they walk forward on their paths to reclaim wellbeing and connection. 

There are many things, both as service providers and broader communities, that we can do to support survivors of torture. Torture is designed to destabilize and to isolate. Because torture is an act carried out by one human against another, it can compromise someone’s trust in other people, or belief that they are worthy of support. By welcoming survivors into our communities, we can begin to rebuild that trust and sense of connection. 

Because survivors experience both physical and mental impacts of torture, we can do more to support survivors by increasing the number of languages in which medical and mental health care are available, and training providers in recognizing signs of torture. We can also help survivors establish firm economic foundations for a new life, both by expanding eligibility criteria for social services and by providing loans to refugees. Refugees are incredibly entrepreneurial; they are more likely than both other immigrants and the general population to be business owners, and refugees who have been in the US for 25 years or more have higher average incomes. Providing loans to refugees can help in establishing a firm economic foundation. 

While torture remains far too common in our world today, there is much we can do individually and collectively to welcome survivors in our communities, create greater awareness of the prevalence of torture around the world, and increase access to services for survivors. We can welcome and support them at schools and colleges, at work, in training new professionals such as medical students, by volunteering to give a helping hand, and by being a friend to someone beginning a new life in a new world. By learning about survivors and continuing to talk about the practice of torture openly, we can both provide greater access to healing and work toward a day where torture truly is a practice of the past.