Background
The United Nations Convention against Torture defines torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.
At the international level, the prohibition of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment is universally recognized as absolute and non-derogable. The prohibition without exceptions has been strengthened by the introduction of specific standards for the investigation and documentation of torture, international mechanisms for prevention, control and repression, and guidelines to improve conditions of detention and impose safeguards during the arrest and detention of persons. States have also made specific commitments to guarantee the right to reparation and compensation for victims, including rehabilitation, aimed at restoring the autonomy and physical, mental, social and professional capacities of the person to ensure their full reintegration into society.
However, 40 years after the adoption of the UN Convention, ratified today by 173 countries, the commitment to end this practice has been dramatically betrayed. Despite the absolute prohibition and without exceptions, torture continues to be perpetrated in more than 140 countries around the world. The paradox of an extreme form of violence, universally prohibited but at the same time universally practiced, is particularly relevant in the context of forced displacement of people. Torture is in fact now a structural element of the migratory experience: while some studies have shown that among the migrant and refugee population, the percentage of those who have suffered torture varies between 5% and 35%, in Italy this percentage is certainly higher because it includes people who have suffered torture in transit countries, in Libya and along the Balkan route.
The consequences of torture
Torture is a violent action with political purposes that annihilates the victims, instills terror in their reference human groups and promotes conformity and obedience in allied or subordinate human groups. It produces physical, psychological and social consequences in those who suffer it, capable of spreading to family members, friends, the society to which they belong and even being transmitted to future generations. The indirect consequences can also affect anyone who takes care of the victims, undermining their altruistic drive. The experience of torture is inevitably traumatic, always resulting in actual or potential, active or latent damage to the integrity and continuity of the mind and body. However, not everyone develops frank symptomatology and clinically diagnosable suffering. On the other hand, many survivors – in addition to personal damage and possible disorder – find themselves facing social stigma and isolation due to the mental health problems they may manifest and the doubts and fears raised in their communities by what they were forced to say, do or suffer. All this makes the therapeutic-rehabilitative process of survivors complex and lengthy, as it must respond to physical problems (lesions, dysfunctions, degenerations, etc.), psychological problems (depressive disorders, post-traumatic stress, dissociative or even psychotic disorders), and identity and cultural problems (which include questions of unworthiness, loss of self-esteem and control over one’s life).
Rehabilitation services for torture survivors
Services and programs for the care of victims of torture must include response methods that are articulated, connected and often long-term with respect to the aforementioned therapeutic-rehabilitative needs of a physical, psychological, socio-cultural and legal nature. It is necessary that the interventions are defined in a shared manner with the victims and timed taking into account the health needs, as well as the subjective times of the victims. It is also necessary that attention be placed not only on the individual victim, but also on his or her family unit, especially if present in the reception context or in any case reachable. Consequently, it is more appropriate than ever that the teams that carry out the care have a multi-professional composition, with both health personnel and personnel from the socio-educational and anthropological spheres, further supported by linguistic-cultural mediators and legal operators with regard to the protection and legal recognition processes. It is recommended that these teams be offered training and supervision opportunities capable of preventing forms of vicarious traumatization.
What the network does
The Network for the Support of Torture Survivors (RESST) brings together public and private bodies and non-governmental organizations that manage specialized programs or services in Italy for the care of people who have suffered torture and other serious forms of intentional violence.
The Network promotes information and awareness-raising initiatives on the issues of torture, its short- and long-term consequences on survivors and communities, the need to strengthen the implementation of international norms and standards against torture and the related prevention, monitoring and repression tools at various levels.
The Network also intends to give visibility to good practices initiated in some territories, also with the aim of stimulating the full implementation of the Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health in 2017. To this end, institutional dialogue actions will be undertaken with national and regional health authorities, the State-Regions Conference, the Ministry of the Interior, international organizations and other interlocutors at various levels. Furthermore, advocacy initiatives will be promoted towards the Italian authorities to strengthen the legal framework and ensure the implementation of specific obligations related to the rehabilitation of survivors.
Finally, the Network aims to contribute to improving the availability and quality of services for torture survivors, working to ensure that each of them is guaranteed access to adequate rehabilitation programs to rebuild their lives and the support necessary to obtain other forms of support and reparation. To achieve this goal, scientific research, training and professional development activities will be promoted, and specific initiatives will be launched to expand the presence of rehabilitation programs for survivors throughout the country.
