COMMITTED TO A WORLD WITHOUT TORTURE
TORTURE CAN NEVER BE ACCEPTED!
WHAT IS DIGNITY? DIGNITY is a Danish human rights institute, which works with treatment, research and international development work under the same roof. We are represented in more than 20 countries, where we cooperate with local partner organisations to fight torture and help torture victims and their families to a better life. DIGNITY works to eradicate torture and abuse in Denmark as well as abroad. We do so because we know that torture destroys people, increases violence in society and creates a fundamental sense of insecurity and fear in the countries where torture is used. DIGNITY was one of the first organisations in the world to offer special treatment to torture victims. For more than 30 years we have been helping torture victims to a better life. On a global scale we put pressure on politicians to influence policies, law and healthcare to make sure that all torture victims get the necessary treatment.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE SUPPORT THE FIGHT AGAINST TORTURE
Millions of people are tortured worldwide. Did you know that primarily poor people or people with a different opinion, religion or ethnicity are tortured? Often because they are merely at the wrong place at the wrong time. Help us eradicate torture.
141 COUNTRIES STILL USE TORTURE*
The majority of countries in the world support the UN’s absolute prohibition of torture that was adopted after the horrors of World War II. Unfortunately, many countries still do not respect the ban in practice. * According to Amnesty 141 countries have used torture in the period 2009-2014.
TORTURE OBSTRUCTS HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY
Torture has been called ‘the mother of all human rights violations’. As long as a country practices or tolerates torture, people will be reluctant to speak, assemble and participate in the political life. Stopping torture is the first step towards improving human rights in general.
THIS IS WHERE WE WORK
RUSSIA
DENMARK
Copenhagen
Head office
AFGHANISTAN
KOSOVO ALBANIA TUNISIA
BANGLADESH
Tunis
DIGNITY office
NEPAL
LEBANON Amman
BURMA
MOROCCO
GUATEMALA
JORDAN DIGNITY office
LIBYA
STATE OF PALESTINE
EGYPT
UGANDA
KENYA
CAMBODIA
HONDURAS
SIERRA LEONE
LIBERIA
TANZANIA
DIGNITY works within the following thematic areas: Rehabilitation DIGNITY helps victims of torture and their families to a better life. Prevention of torture where people are deprived of their liberty DIGNITY works to ensure that people who are imprisoned or placed in other closed institutions have a dignified life. Prevention of torture and organised violence in urban areas DIGNITY works to ensure that people living in unsafe slum areas can lead safer and dignified lives.
SOUTH AFRICA
THE PHILIPPINES
Julia was raped and thrown into a mass grave
THIS IS HOW DIGNITY HELPS VICTIMS OF TORTURE IN DENMARK The actual torture may last only a short while, but it can haunt the victims for life.
During the Rwandan genocide Julia was arrested. She was subjected to gross torture, raped and left in a mass grave with one of her daughters, Julia herself in the advanced stages of pregnancy.
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They thought I was dead and probably figured that my daughter would eventually die as well.
Chronic pain can make even the smallest things, like going shopping and getting dressed, insurmountable challenges. Sleep is interrupted by nightmares. The daytime is filled with anxiety, depression and flashbacks that take the victim back to the horrors of the torture chamber. Some people become hypersensitive to sound, light and touch, which makes it very difficult to give and receive caresses.
Fortunately, Julia managed to escape after some time, and eventually took refuge in Denmark with her two children.
Without the right treatment, the physical pain and psychological suffering may become chronic. And this way the entire family will suffer, especially the children.
DIGNITY has been recognised by the Danish National Board of Health as a national centre specialising in the treatment of severely traumatised refugees. We help victims of torture handle the physical pain and the psychological suffering so they and their children can get a better life. At our clinic in Copenhagen we take an interdisciplinary approach to the social, psychological and physical problems experienced by torture victims. DIGNITY’s social workers look at issues concerning finances, education and work. Our psychologists e.g. ask about nightmares, anxiety and depression. Our doctors look at the need for medication, and finally our physiotherapists help adapt the daily chores and teach the torture victims how to live with chronic pain.
Today I am a whole person Starting a new life in Denmark was not easy. Julia was diagnosed with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) and was referred to DIGNITY where she was met by a team consisting of a psychologist, a physiotherapist, a doctor and a social worker.
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In the beginning it was really difficult and hard. Why was I required to tell them about myself? That alone was a kind of torture. I experienced migraine attacks, nightmares and flashbacks. But it actually helped. Without my faith, my church and DIGNITY I would not be a whole person today. Today, I have two well-functioning daughters who are enrolled in education programmes and are finding their own place in life. I have a full life and even someone to share it with. That would not have been possible without DIGNITY.
ONE IN EVERY THREE ASYLUM SEEKERS IS A TORTURE VICTIM
Studies show that close to 30 percent of all asylum seekers in Denmark have been subjected to torture. Therefore, DIGNITY’s political work includes the objective that all refugees are screened for torture when they arrive in Denmark so that they can be offered the right treatment.
MANY CHILDREN OF TORTURE VICTIMS EXPERIENCE NEGLECT
From the DIGNITY clinic, we know that some children of torture victims live with neglect and violence. Due to trauma the parents are unable to care for them properly. These children are at risk of getting the worst possible start in life and ending up in a negative course of life. Our family team works with the whole family in understanding and changing patterns of reactions e.g. helping to get aggression and anger under control so that close bonds can be reestablished.
THIS IS HOW DIGNITY HELPS TORTURE VICTIMS IN THE WORLD’S HOT SPOTS
Yussuf survived eight months of systematic torture 29-year-old Yussuf is halfway through a treatment programme with DIGNITY’s partner organisation in Cairo. His appearance bears witness to the torture he was subjected to. His hands are full of burns, and a 15 cm long scar parts his hair.
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The guard hit me several times on the head with the back of his pistol, until my scull fractured and I fainted.
The vast majority of torture victims stay in their home country or take refuge in neighbouring countries where they try their best to rebuild their lives. This can be difficult without the help of professionals. Therefore, DIGNITY cooperates with local partners to offer the right treatment to torture victims and their families where they live.
This means that we usually work in unstable societies characterised by tension, limited finances and often poor or no healthcare at all. Among other things, we use short programmes to train staff to rehabilitate torture victims. And we cooperate with our local partners to develop effective and inexpensive treatments.
I can walk in the streets again In the region, there are many severely traumatised people like Yussuf, and the resources for rehabilitation are scarce. Therefore, DIGNITY provides short-term programmes in Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET) for treatment providers in several countries. Experience is good and most NET patients improve after a relatively short time. Yussuf is one of the persons DIGNITY has helped through a local partner organisation in his home country.
HELP TO SYRIAN REFUGEES IN NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES
DIGNITY helps with provision of rehabilitation to victims of torture among Syrian refugees through partner organisations in Jordan and Libanon. DIGNITY also provides training of health professionals who treat victims. When possible, Syrian health professionals are included in supplementary training to professionalise the assistance to traumatised victims.
TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCES AFFECT THE ENTIRE FAMILY
Concurrently at clinics in Denmark and South Africa, DIGNITY together with a partner organisation is developing a rehabilitation programme for torture affected persons and their children. The focus is on the interpersonal rather than on individual traumatisation and the aim is to re-establish parenting skills, improve family relationships and bringing children into a positive development.
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Today I am able to remember what happened. I understand that the time of torture is over now. My sleep is quieter, and I can walk in the streets again without experiencing flashbacks and reliving the torture. It is still hard, but it gets better and better for every day.
DIGNITY´S PROGRAMME IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA)
DIGNITY works in a number of countries in the Middle East and North Africa with support from the Danish and Swiss Ministries of Foreign Affairs among other. The countries in the region have a long history of systematic torture and inhuman treatment – not only of political adversaries, but also of ordinary citizens. DIGNITY also works to reform the legal sector to enable the filing of lawsuits in relation to torture and inhuman treatment, and to ensure that people deprived of their liberty can live under decent conditions in prisons and detention centres.
THIS IS HOW DIGNITY PREVENTS TORTURE A dignified life behind locked doors
A dignified life in poor, urban areas
More than 10 million people are imprisoned in the world. In addition, many people are deprived of their liberty in e.g. detention centres and closed psychiatric wards. Without proper legal protection, the risk of being subjected to abuse and torture is extensive.
A large part of the world’s population lives every day with the threat of violence and torture. Slum areas in big cities are among the most dangerous and most unsafe places in the world. DIGNITY cooperates with local partner organisation to ensure vulnerable people a more secure life. In the Philippines, we teach children who have been subjected to police violence about their rights. In Central America, DIGNITY has initiated CIPREVI, a regional research center for violence prevention, that among other offers municipalities, police and civil society organizations accredited university-level courses in prevention of violence.
The risk of torture is highest during the first period in police custody, as this is typically where law enforcement officers will try to force a confession out of or obtain information from the suspect. Therefore, DIGNITY works to reduce the use of pre-trial detention in several countries and to secure the legal rights of detainees, e.g. in the form of access to an attorney and a medical examination.
Prison is like being on another planet An everyday life completely devoid of meaningful occupation. Overcrowded cells lacking oxygen. Stinking toilets. Tainted food. Mattresses and blankets infested with vermin. Violent guards and fellow prisoners. All the while, the prison authorities simply turn a blind eye.
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Paranoia, suspicion... It is so difficult to trust anyone on the inside. Anyone who approaches you will either attack you, rob you or press you into doing things. – South African inmate That is life for many of the world’s inmates. Many are imprisoned for an indefinite period of time without even having been brought before a judge and with no or limited access to a doctor and an attorney.
TORTURE MUST BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT
In many countries torture is an established practice in the work of the intelligence service, the military and the police. The system protects its own, and this means that the perpetrators are allowed to continue torturing. Prosecution is important, for the victim as well as to discourage torturers. Therefore, DIGNITY trains prosecutors, judges, doctors and human rights activists in prison inspections and in identifying and documenting torture.
DENMARK IS LEADING THE WAY
Since its establishment DIGNITY has contributed to ensuring that Denmark is one of the countries that does the most to prevent torture. Among other things, Denmark, advised by DIGNITY, has taken the initiative for the adoption of several UN resolutions regarding torture, which point out that judges, lawyers, doctors and other health professionals are under an obligation to report torture. DIGNITY has a member on the UN Committee against Torture and one on the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Furthermore, DIGNITY has built the world’s largest library collection about torture.
Year by year.
A better life behind bars DIGNITY works for independent inspections of closed institutions in several regions. Inspections can help document and prevent torture as well as create improved conditions in prisons etc.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE TOGETHER WITH US
Support our work – put an end to torture and make sure that torture victims get help. You can support us in several ways: Follow us R Facebook: facebook.com/DignityInstitute R Twitter: twitter.com/DignityDK
Donate Every donation, big or small, makes a difference. R Online donation via dignityinstitute.org/donate R Donation via bank transfer IBAN: DK06 3000 4310 8212 09 · SWIFT: DABADKKK · Account number: 4183 4310821209 (Danske Bank)
info@dignityinstitute.dk www.dignityinstitute.dk
©2015 DIGNITY – Danish Institute Against Torture. Photos are model photos. Layout: Eckardt ApS