States must do more to reach out to torture victims and provide holistic rehabilitation services so victims can rebuild their lives after torture, says a new report that presents the key conclusions from last year’s EU-NGO Human Rights Forum.

Mushegh Yekmalyan, IRCT Head of European Affairs - Photo by Thierry Roge
- Ensure the safety of staff at rehabilitation centres – both in terms of their work in risky environments and in their role of documenting abuses;
- Find ways to reach out to torture victims, as they are not likely to seek out treatment centres pro-actively;
- Provide holistic treatment including medical care as well as legal aid to those who want to seek judicial remedies; and ensure sensitivity to gender and ethnicity;
- Prioritise victims’ safety and security in all rehabilitation and redress processes.
- Ensure that victims have the right to make informed choices with regard to the redress and justice-seeking process – they should not be deprived of access to rehabilitation or psycho-social support if they are not willing to go through the legal steps to access redress;
- Involve survivors in advocacy activities, allowing them to provide testimonies and insights on effective methods of redress and rehabilitation.
For more information
To see the full report and the executive summary click here.