Resources
What Is Torture?
Why Is Torture Practiced?
Who Is Tortured?
What Are the Methods of Torture?
What Are the Consequences of Torture?
What Are the Steps to Healing?
WHAT IS TORTURE?
“Torturers seek to use the body as a weapon against the mind.”
- James Jaranson, MD
The following definitions of torture are widely used and accepted by many international bodies and organizations:
For the purposes of this Convention, the term “torture” means 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.
- U.N. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (Part I, Article 1)Torture is defined as the deliberate, systematic, or wanton infliction of physical or mental suffering by one or more persons acting alone or on the orders of any authority, to force another person to yield information, to make a confession, or for any other reason.
- World Medical Association Declaration of Tokyo
It should be noted, however, that for some human rights advocates these definitions are too confining, and do not encompass the full scope of practices that are used to inflict suffering upon and instill terror within individuals, families, communities, and societies.
WHY IS TORTURE PRACTICED?
Governments and other entities use torture to maintain social control, ensure compliance with dominant views and values, suppress political opposition, and stifle social activism. Torture may also be used to spread terror among members of a particular group or population, or during campaigns of genocide or “ethnic cleansing.” Mass, systematic rape, as witnessed in the former Yugoslavia and in Darfur, Sudan, is a form of violation that traumatizes its immediate victims as well as entire families and communities.
Specific goals of torture may include the silencing of individual voices or the extraction of information. Torture is also a means of demonstrating the consequences of speaking out or taking action against an established power.
WHO IS TORTURED?
The list of those who are among the tortured is a long and inclusive one. They may be political or military opponents of a ruling party; local leaders, community activists, or public figures such as journalists, writers, teachers, students, labor organizers, nuns and priests; members of ethnic or religious minorities or other marginalized groups; refugees or other civilians caught up in civil strife or warfare.
WHAT ARE THE METHODS OF TORTURE?
Methods of inflicting physical torture include beating, burning, electric shock, suspension or use of forced positions, near-drowning or asphyxiation through hooding or other means, amputations, use of chemical or pharmacological substances, and sexual torture, including rape and injury to the genital organs.
Means of psychological torture include isolation, sensory deprivation, forced acts (such as being made to watch others being tortured, raped, or killed, or being forced to inflict injury on others), sham executions, and other forms of extreme mental or verbal abuse.
It is important to understand that, although methods of torture may be described as belonging to different categories, the distinction between physical and psychological methods is an artificial one. Physical torture instills the fear of future abuse, and psychological torture is often inextricably linked to the threat of extreme physical injury. Both seek to destroy the survivor’s sense of safety, autonomy, and personal and bodily integrity.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF TORTURE?
The effects of torture are wide-ranging, and may be multiple and long-term in nature. Physical effects may include brain damage, loss of vision or hearing, atrophy or paralysis of muscles, scarring, and injury to internal organs, including the reproductive organs. Survivors may experience chronic pain or find it difficult or impossible to undertake certain activities.
The psychological effects of torture can include major depression, anxiety, and the constellation of symptoms known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Survivors of torture and trauma may also experience feelings of shame, guilt, powerlessness or worthlessness, an inability to visualize the future, and difficulty connecting to other people.
Once again, distinctions are not always clear-cut: the links between the physical and psychological effects of torture can be inseparable. Survivors may, for example, experience vivid and specific “body memory” symptoms associated with their abuse.
WHAT ARE THE STEPS TO HEALING?
The consequences of torture, as described above, can affect the survivor on many levels: physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioral. Specialized centers for the treatment of survivors seek to provide care that meets individual needs in these various areas.
Confronted during their ordeals with the threat of death or extreme injury — either to themselves, others, or both — torture survivors have experienced profound fear, horror, and feelings of hopelessness. Helping survivors understand that such feelings are normal, human reactions to what has been inflicted upon them can be a vital step in the process of healing.
The heightened sense of vulnerability felt by survivors of torture and trauma affects the individual’s perception of her/himself in the world. For this reason, helping survivors regain a sense of trust and a sense of personal control over their lives is fundamental to healing efforts. Caseworkers, therapists, and other care providers can abet this process by helping survivors recognize and build upon their strengths and inner resources.
Providing a safe, caring, and confidential setting in which the survivor can talk about his or her experiences when s/he is ready to is an essential aspect of healing efforts. Having an opportunity to mourn losses — of family, friends, home, country, or former way of life — can be integral to this process as well. For some individuals, becoming part of a local faith community or establishing mutually supportive links with other survivors can be important and enabling steps. For others, a focus on practical skills that help them adjust to their new environment will be most empowering. At every stage, programs for torture and trauma survivors — whether therapeutic, medical, or social service-oriented — should be informed by cultural sensitivity and geared towards the needs of the individual.
Comprehensive, compassionate care, along with appropriate social services and supportive networks, can help survivors can feel at home in the world once more.
Learn more about the consequences of torture and about ASTT’S strength-based therapy model used for treating survivors.