26 June is the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims, seated in Copenhagen, is an umbrella organisation for nearly 200 rehabilitation centres and programmes for torture victims around the world and an independent, health professional organisation working for the rehabilitation of torture victims and the prevention of torture.
The President of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), Dr Bhogendra Sharma, Nepal, urges States that have not yet ratified the UN Convention against Torture to do so.
– The work against torture requires the active support and contribution of all. It starts with governments, as those primarily responsible for and with capacity to prevent torture and provide redress for victims of torture, Dr Sharma says.
The Secretary-General of the IRCT, Brita Sydhoff, focuses on the rights of the victims:
– The right to rehabilitation and compensation is important for the victims in order to get on with their lives. But these rights are also important for future generations and for society as a whole.
– The fact that victims have rights and that the acts of the perpetrators are unlawful is important for the prevention of serious human rights violations, including torture. The expression of this right is that justice is achieved, says she.
Read the statements by the president and the Secretary-General of the IRCT together with information about the global campaign against torture on www.irct.org
For further information, contact Media Co-ordinator Poul Struve Nielsen, 33 76 06 49 or 23 34 55 09.
