The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) is an independent, international health professional organization that promotes and supports the rehabilitation of

torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

victims and works for the prevention of torture worldwide. Based in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

, the IRCT is the

umbrella organization An umbrella organization is an association of (often related, industry-specific) institutions who work together formally to coordinate activities and/or pool resources. In business, political, and other environments, it provides resources and ofte ...

for over 160 independent torture rehabilitation organizations in 76 countries that treat and assist torture survivors and their families. They advocate for holistic rehabilitation for all victims of torture, which can include access to justice, reparations, and medical, psychological, and psycho-social counseling. The IRCT does this through strengthening the capacity of their membership, enabling an improved policy environment for torture victims, and generating and share knowledge on issues related to the rehabilitation of torture victims. Professionals at the IRCT rehabilitation centers and programs provide treatment for an estimated 100,000 survivors of torture every year. Victims receive multidisciplinary support including medical and psychological care and legal aid. The aim of the rehabilitation process is to empower torture survivors to resume as full a life as possible. In 1988, IRCT, along with founder Inge Genefke, was given the

Right Livelihood Award The Right Livelihood Award is an international award to "honour and support those offering practical and exemplary answers to the most urgent challenges facing us today." The prize was established in 1980 by German-Swedish philanthropist Jakob v ...

"for helping those whose lives have been shattered by torture to regain their health and personality."

History

The medical response to the problem of torture began in 1973 with the launch of a campaign by

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...

(AI) to help and diagnose torture victims. At this time, very little was known about torture methods or the physical or psychosocial consequences for torture victims. The first AI group to start this work was founded in Denmark in 1974 and consisted of four voluntary doctors. This group was part of a network of some 4,000 medical doctors from 34 countries worldwide. It quickly became evident that, in addition to documenting cases of torture for use in potential legal proceedings, it was also critical to identify methods to help treat and rehabilitate victims of torture. This resulted in the establishment in 1978 of the first medical international working group to address the rehabilitation of torture victims, which held the first international medical seminar on torture, Violations of Human Rights – Torture and the Medical Profession, in

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Greece.Violations of Human Rights: Torture and the Medical Profession
New England Journal of Medicine. In 1979, members of the Danish medical group obtained permission to admit and examine torture victims at

Copenhagen University Hospital Copenhagen University Hospital is a conglomerate of several hospitals in Region Hovedstaden and Region Sjælland in Denmark, together with the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences a ...

, in Denmark. Three years later, in 1982, the

Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims {{Unreferenced, date=June 2008 DIGNITY - Danish Institute Against Torture (formerly RCT short for ''Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims'') is a self-governing institution independent of party politics located in Denmark. The ins ...

(RCT) was founded in Copenhagen by Dr. Inge Genefke, MD, as an independent institution with its own premises. In response to a growing need for global support and assistance in the rehabilitation of torture victims, the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims was founded in 1985, initially as the international arm of the RCT, and, from 1997, as an international and independent organization. In 2010, the IRCT celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Members

The list of IRCT members includes more than 160 members in 76 countries.

Work

The work of the IRCT can be divided into three areas: * Offering rehabilitation services to torture survivors * Countering

impunity Impunity is avoidance of punishment, loss, or other negative consequences for an action. In the international law of human rights, impunity is failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and, as such, itself constitutes a d ...

for perpetrators and promoting justice for survivors * Raising

awareness Awareness is the state of being conscious of something. More specifically, it is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events. Another definition describes it as a state wherein a subject is aware of some inform ...

among policy-makers and citizens The stated vision of the IRCT is "a world that values and accepts shared responsibility for the eradication of torture". The objective of the organization is to promote the provision of specialized treatment and rehabilitation services for victims of torture and to contribute to the prevention of torture globally. To further these goals, the IRCT seeks on an international basis: * to develop and maintain an advocacy programme that accumulates, processes, and disseminates information about torture as well as the consequences and the rehabilitation of torture * to establish international funding for rehabilitation services and programs for the prevention of torture * to promote the education and training of relevant professionals in the medical as well as social, legal, and ethical aspects of torture * to encourage the establishment and maintenance of rehabilitation services * to establish and expand institutional relations in the international effort to abolish the practice of torture * to support all other activities that may contribute to the prevention of torture, and * to promote knowledge of and use of the

Istanbul Protocol The Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, commonly known as the Istanbul Protocol, is the first set of international guidelines for documentation of torture an ...

to promote access to torture survivors to high-quality medico-legal, or forensic, documentation of torture for use in legal proceedings. The IRCT has special consultative status with the

UN Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

and the UN Department of Public Information, and participatory status with the

Council of Europe The Council of Europe (CoE; french: Conseil de l'Europe, ) is an international organisation founded in the wake of World War II to uphold European Convention on Human Rights, human rights, democracy and the Law in Europe, rule of law in Europe. ...

.List of non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council as of 1 September 2010
United Nations. Important collaboration partners include (but are not limited to) the

World Medical Association The World Medical Association (WMA) is an international and independent confederation of free professional medical associations representing physicians worldwide. WMA was formally established on September 18, 1947 and has grown to 115 national m ...

(WMA), the World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT), the

World Psychiatric Association The World Psychiatric Association is an international umbrella organisation of psychiatric societies. Objectives and goals Originally created to produce world psychiatric congresses, it has evolved to hold regional meetings, to promote profess ...

(WPA), the

International Council of Nurses The International Council of Nurses (ICN) is a federation of more than 130 national nurses associations. It was founded in 1899 and was the first international organization for health care professionals. It is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerl ...

(ICN), and

Physicians for Human Rights Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a US-based not-for-profit human rights NGO that uses medicine and science to document and advocate against mass atrocities and severe human rights violations around the world. PHR headquarters are in New ...

(PHR). The IRCT also works in partnership with governments, human rights organizations, health professional organizations, and intergovernmental organizations.

Publications

* ''

Torture Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...

'', a journal on rehabilitation of torture victims and prevention of torture.

Structure

The IRCT comprises four bodies: the General Assembly, the Council, the Executive Committee, and the General Secretariat.

General Assembly

The IRCT General Assembly meets every three years and comprises accredited rehabilitation centers and programs worldwide. The General Assembly provides a forum in which representatives of rehabilitation centers and programs, and others working in related fields, may facilitate and press forward the global work against torture. The first IRCT General Assembly was conducted as a Written General Assembly on 16 June – 6 July 2003. All rehabilitation centers and programs that are accredited with the IRCT were eligible to participate in the General Assembly, the forum in which the IRCT Council is elected. A total of 94 accredited rehabilitation centers and programs participated in the 2003 IRCT Written General Assembly.

Council and Executive Committee

According to the IRCT Statutes and Bylaws, the IRCT Council is elected by the General Assembly and comprises up to 30 members, 27 representing rehabilitation centers and programs worldwide, and three independent experts. The Council is the principal policy-making and advisory standard-setting body of the IRCT, and includes the seven members of the Executive Committee. The allocation of seats to the IRCT Council by region is as follows: * Europe – 7 seats * Asia – 4 seats * North America – 2 seats * Latin America – 4 seats * Sub Sahara Africa – 4 seats * Middle East and North Africa – 3 seats * Pacific – 2 seats * Independent experts – 3 seats * Country of domicile of the IRCT General Secretariat (Denmark) – 1 seat.

General Secretariat

The General Secretariat, based in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, is the operational body of the IRCT, responsible for the management and implementation of the IRCT's policies and programmes in support of the rehabilitation of torture victims and the prevention of torture worldwide. The General Secretariat consists of the Office of the Secretary-General, Administration and Finance Team, Communications Team, Membership Team, Health Team, Advocacy and Legal Team and Liaison Offices in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

References

External links

IRCT Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:International Rehabilitation Council For Torture Victims Human rights organizations based in Denmark Torture victim support organizations Organizations with participatory status with the Council of Europe