The Survivors’ Charter
Credit: IRCT
“We, the victims and survivors of torture speak with one voice … Our pain has been silenced, denied and forgotten too many times. But through this Charter we reclaim our truth and our place in the world … Our voices will not be taken from us again.”
The Charter of Rights of Victims and Survivors of Torture is a unique document: the words, experiences, and voices of survivors from around the world gathered into a single, powerful statement that demands to be read and heard – not only by State actors responsible for torture, but by everyone whose job it is to uphold human rights.
Distilled from the IRCT‑led Survivor Hearings, in which survivors from more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America met directly with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, the Charter’s seven articles present what Alice Jill Edwards calls a “global blueprint for action.”
This small document will have a big impact on how the IRCT’s global membership works with and for survivors going forward. National and international human rights organisations and mechanisms can – and should – place survivors in leadership roles when shaping policies designed to support them, challenging decades of top‑down approaches.
The Charter has been translated into all UN official languages and was launched on 3 March 2026 in Geneva by the Special Rapporteur during the Human Rights Council session, at an event hosted with our partners in the United Against Torture Consortium.
Charter of Rights of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment
Arabic Version
Chinese Version
French Version
Russian Version
Spanish Version
“When faced with the State’s denial and refusal to take responsibility, perseverance can lead to an acknowledgement of the truth.”
The Survivors’ Charter:
In Their Own Voices
Launched on 3 March 2026 at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, the Charter of Rights of Victims and Survivors of Torture is a powerful and essential statement from survivors themselves about the impact of torture and the central role that the experiences and insights of survivors can and should play in all efforts to end torture and support their journey through healing and justice.
“We, the victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment… No one understands the suffering from torture better than we do. We insist that this knowledge be respected by all involved in the global struggle to eradicate all forms of torture and ill-treatment.”
Watch the launch film featuring survivors from the regional Hearings speaking the words of the Charter together.
Italia Mendez from Mexico at the launch of the Survivors’ Charter during the 61st meeting of the Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva.
Jawad fairooz from Bahrain at the launch of the Survivors’ Charter during the 61st meeting of the Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva.
Donatien Ndabigeze from burundi at the launch of the Survivors’ Charter during the 61st meeting of the Human Rights Council at the UN in Geneva.
“The State owes a great debt to the survivors of torture.”
The Special Rapporteur on Torture:
A Catalyst for Change
“This document is a reminder that survivors are not merely witnesses to atrocity,” said Alice J. Edwards, the Special Rapporteur on Torture. “They are rights-holders, advocates and architects of positive change. Their voices must shape the systems intended to protect them.”
Victims of torture are urging States to place justice, reparations and recovery at the centre of responses to one of the gravest human rights violations, according to a new report and the Survivors’ Charter by the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Alice Jill Edwards.
The Charter of Rights of Victims and Survivors of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment sets out what justice, reparation and recovery truly mean for those who have endured torture. It outlines rights to truth, effective investigations, participation in decision making, and essential prevention and protection measures – a framework distilled from global survivor consultations.
“This Charter is born from courage,” Edwards said. “Survivors who have endured unimaginable harm chose not only to speak of what happened to them, but of their hopes for recognition, accountability and change. The importance of survivor participation and leadership is central to the Charter.”
“For too long, survivors have been expected to adapt to systems that were never designed with them in mind,” the special rapporteur on Torture, Alice J. Edwards said. “This Charter reverses that approach. It starts with survivors – and asks States to respond.”
“You Are Stronger Than Your Torturer”
The Charter in the Making:
From Hearings to Charter
Bogota – In November 2023, for the first time ever, torture survivors from 13 countries in Latin America met face-to-face with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture (SRT), Dr Alice Edwards, to share their experiences of torture and views on improving access to justice and reparation.
Organised between the IRCT, our member Centro de Atencion Psicosocial (CAPS) Colombia, and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) the three-day hearing in Bogota, Colombia focused on helping survivors heal, on informing the work of Dr Alice Edwards, the UN SRT, and on promoting stronger engagement with torture survivors from UN human rights mechanisms.
“It is a great achievement to stand in front of the Rapporteur and be able to present your case,” said Osvaldo Rodriguez, one of 15 torture survivors from across Latin America who met with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, in Bogota, Colombia in November, the first of IRCT’s ground-breaking ‘Hearings for Healing’ aimed at ensuring survivors voices are central to the work of UN human rights mechanisms.
Many of those who spoke to Dr Alice Edwards, the UN SRT, also wanted to speak out publicly, and this short video gives a sample of those survivors and what they had to say. Their individual testimony was published as part of IRCT’s on-going Survivor Engagement project.
Nairobi – “We are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, grandparents, good friends, active members of our communities affirming our agency and support and solidarity with each other and all other survivors of torture.”
So begins the Nairobi Declaration 2024, issued by survivors of torture and other human rights violations from 14 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa in 2024.
Survivors gathered in Nairobi, Kenya to share their experiences and opinions with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Dr Alice Edwards, and to become active actors in the global anti-torture movement. Following this event, the Nairobi Declaration 2024, was issued by survivors of torture and other human rights violations from 14 countries across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The three-day Survivors’ Hearing was organised by IRCT and World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) with our members and partners in Kenya the Independent Medico Legal Unit (IMLU), Mwatikho Torture Survivors Foundation (MATESOF), Centre Against Torture Kenya Foundation (CAT) and The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT Nairobi).
Kathmandu – The Kathmandu Declaration, written by 12 survivors of torture from 10 countries across Asia who met in Kathmandu, Nepal, in May 2025, sets out in just three pages the devastating consequences of the torture they endured – on themselves, their families and their communities – and presents a clear set of demands to their States, the international community and civil society.
The Declaration emerged from a regional Survivor Hearing, where participants shared their experiences and their views on strengthening the global fight against torture directly with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr Alice Edwards. The hearing was organised by the IRCT and our member TPO Nepal, with support from OMCT.
This was the third and final regional Survivor Hearing – part of a broader effort by the IRCT, our members and partners, to create spaces where survivors can speak directly to decision makers and shape the policies that affect their lives.
