The Integrated Victims of Torture Project

Despite the ratification of the U.N. Convention Against Torture in 1994 and the introduction of a revised Code of Criminal Procedure in Burundian law in 2000, the incidence of torture and the impunity with which it is carried out persist across Burundi. The pervasiveness of torture exacerbates the trauma and insecurity that Burundians already suffer from as a result of the ongoing armed conflict. The Integrated Torture Victims Project brings together the expertise of organisations working for peacebuilding, trauma healing, community organising, and human rights advocacy and hence undertakes a multi-faceted approach to effectively support victims of torture and prevent future incidences of torture.

The main objectives of the Integrated Torture Victims Project are:

Psychological Healing
While in many cases the physical effects of torture may disappear with time, most torture victims suffer from severe psychological symptoms including depression, panic attacks and anxiety disorders throughout their lives. Victims of torture cannot integrate back into their lives unless the psychological wounds of the torture are addressed in a healing process. Counselling services, community dialogues, arts and sports all have significant roles to play in healing the psychological wounds of torture on the victim, his family and community.

Legal Assistance
Supporting victims of torture in their quest for legal remedy not only puts pressure on the state institutions to counter impunity, but this struggle for justice also helps restore the dignity of the victims and contributes to their psychological healing. Identifying victims of torture, providing judicial advice and assistance, assisting in the transportation of witnesses and victims to the trials, and providing financial assistance for legal expenses are all parts of legal assistance.

Social Reintegration
In some societies, the experience of torture also brings about social prejudices and exclusion against the victim and his family, which further deteriorate the psychological suffering. Victims of torture cannot successfully reintegrate unless their communities are brought in to be part of the healing process. Community dialogues and joint activities are particularly successful in facilitating the social reintegration process when implemented in cooperation with local institutions of reconciliation.

Preventative Advocacy
If support for victims of torture is to be effective in the long term, there have to be coordinated steps taken to prevent torture incidences in the future. Among methods of preventative advocacy are documentation and promulgation of abuses, raising awareness about torture among population-at-large, and networking with international human rights organisations to take the issue to the international platform.