Torture: The crucial role of health professionals

[struggle4progress]

When Amnesty International (AI) launched its first Campaign for the Abolition of Torture in 1972, it almost certainly did not have in mind that torture would re-emerge as a major issue in democratic states more than 30 years later. The debate over torture that has emerged over recent years, and particularly since 11 September 2001, suggests a desire on the part of some governments to reverse the gains achieved against torture since the first AI campaign.
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The role of health personnel in addressing torture is crucial. The persistent reports of medical collusion in torture in the 1970s gave rise to a number of declarations emphasising the health professional's obligation not to engage in or tolerate cruel and unethical behaviour against prisoners. In 2000, the United Nations published the Istanbul Protocol -- a guide to the medical documentation of torture intended to assist doctors to contribute to the struggle against torture.
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The needs of people who have been tortured are widely divergent, but include medical treatment or sometimes the need for reassurance that they are basically healthy; understanding and friendship; employment; security; and psychosocial support. Some may require psychiatric care. Those who are seeking asylum after torture may need medical evidence of their suffering in order to obtain refugee status.

The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture -- 26 June -- is an important time to renew our commitment to the prevention of torture and to meeting the needs of people who have suffered a terrible human rights violation.

http://news.amnesty.org/mav/index/ENGPOL306252004