TRC Annu final 2008

TRC

‫ﻣﺮﻛﺰ ﻋﻼﺝ ﻭﺗﺄﻫﻴﻞ ﺿﺤﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﺘﻌﺬﻳﺐ‬

2007 - 2008 A continued commitment to survivors of torture and organized violence in Palestine www.trc-pal.org

2007- 2008

TRC Annual Report

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Main Branch: Ramallah, Irsal Street, Al Masa Building, 3rd Floor Telephone: +972 (0)2 296 3932, +972 (0)2 296 1710 Fax: +972 (0)2 298 9123 Email: info@trc-pal.org Website: www.trc-pal.org

Branches: Hebron: King Faisal Street, across from Ministry of Education, Khalef Commercial Center, 4th floor Telephone: +972 (0)2 229 8020 Fax: +972 (0)2 229 8021 Jenin: al Basateen Quarters, Old Age Home Association Building, 1st floor Telephone: +972 (0)4 243 0362 Fax: +972 (0)4 243 0363 Nablus: Al 窶連del Street, Aloul and Abu Salha Building, 7th floor Telephone: +972 (0)9 239 8133 Fax: +972 (0)9 239 8143

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A: Letter from TRC’s General Director

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2007- 2008

For more than six decades ,Palestinian people in West Bank and Gaza has been subject to various discriminative and brutal occupational policies. Absence of justice and deny of rights have marked the lives of four generations of Palestinians who have lived the displacement, murder, imprisonment and torture. The Israeli occupation has always refused to recognize the international laws and norms concerning the rights of Palestinian people.

Nevertheless, and despite all the attempts to uproot the people from their land , Palestinians are still standing to resist and refuse to waive their rights ,values and principles. As the occupation doesn’t bear any ethics or values , then it’s not strange for it to keep applying new and innovative means of torture to repress the Palestinians. The abnormal and shameful is to see torture committed by Palestinians against other Palestinians.

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FIRST PART

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Palestinians have long suffered from various and multiple means of occupational means of Torture including physical and psychological ones.

Target killing , detention, house demolitions and the Wall are among the most violent measures used by the Israelis to contain the Palestinians ;in fact, the Israeli occupation represents the factory where barbaric tactics of torture means against Palestinian prisoners and citizens are developed daily ;for instance, TRC’ statistics says that 25% of Palestinian population had been arrested by the occupation at least once ; 85% of Palestinian detainees in the Israeli jails have been subjected to torture; and 40% of those who were tortured suffer from chronic PTSD. Unfortunately , we recently became familiar with news coming from the Palestinian detention centers indicating that torture is nowadays perpetrated against the Palestinians by Palestinian hands. Actually, we in Treatment And Rehabilitation Center For Victims Of Torture, have received hundreds of cases that were subject to torture in Palestinian Jails , and received numbers are growing day after day, especially after the state of division that we are going through since 2006 . Indeed, this is a smirch in the history of Palestinian

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Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (TRC) is defined as an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization that provides comprehensive treatment and rehabilitation services to survivors of torture and organized violence in the West Bank. TRC works to reduce the traumatic and devastating physical and psychological consequences of torture and politically motivated violence as well as the retaliatory behavior by offering victims and their families comprehensive medical, psychiatric, physical, and psychosocial care completely free-of-charge in a safe and comfortable atmosphere. TRC also works to prevent and combat torture, violence and impunity through training, research and advocacy.

TRC was founded by Dr. Mahmoud Sehwail, a Palestinian psychiatrist and human rights activist who has been treating ex-detainees and their families on a voluntary basis since 1983, and who is currently the general Director of the foundation. In 1997, TRC began its work under the umbrella of the Mandela Institute for Political Prisoners; it relocated to its own independent premises in 1999. Today, in addition to its headquarters in Ramallah, TRC has three fully functioning branch offices - in Hebron, Jenin and Nablus – which facilitate the delivery of care and treatment to TRC’s target groups in marginalized communities throughout the West Bank.

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2007- 2008

B: IDENTITY

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people’ struggle and resistance . It’s unacceptable to repeat the same sin against ourselves as the progress and civilization of peoples are determined by the extent to which human rights are respected.

It is natural that the occupation does not adhere to international laws and norms. Emptiness of values and principles of humanity lies in its nature, but as a deep-rooted people , we must be more aware and more devoted to our aspirations in freedom and life ; we must adhere to our unity, our people and our values and we must rise above all our differences and our wounds so that we can maintain the values of our people. We must remember that we are still occupied ;forgive ourselves and return back to our unity so that we can deliver our timeless message that the Palestinian people is still occupied and looks for salvation. Let’s inspired by Martin Luther King when he said “We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

C: TRC’S MISSION STATEMENT The ultimate mission of TRC is to contribute significantly to the eradication of torture, organized violence, and other human rights abuses as well as the prevailing culture of impunity in Palestine.

TRC is an independent human rights organization, free of any political, sectarian or racial affiliation.

• It provides direct service delivery to survivors of torture and politically motivated violence • It advocates and educates for increased public awareness and seeks to de-stigmatize the debate about torture in order to build public awareness and demand for change.

• It invests in the capacity of law makers and professionals who work within the legal system, including law enforcement agencies, to ensure that the human rights of detained people are fully respected.

In this volatile political environment, TRC will strengthen and develop its services for torture survivors and their families, while carrying out activities to influence public opinion, mobilize community activism and organized campaigns against torture, political violence and impunity. The organization will increase its efforts to enhance the capacity of targeted groups that work within law enforcement.

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TRC’s PERSPECTIVE ON TORTURE

Despite being stringently outlawed, torture continues to be practiced in a majority of countries round the world. A 2001 report by Amnesty International highlighted the use of torture by 140 states between 1997 and 2001, and found that every year thousands of perpetrators beat , rape and electrocute other human beings.

In accordance with the International Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment torture is defined as “any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such

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20072007-2008 2008

Torture is a serious violation of human rights and is strictly prohibited by the international law. As the use of torture strikes at the very heart of civil and political freedoms, it was one of the first issues dealt with by the United Nations (UN) in its development of human rights standards.

The right to be free from torture is one of the most fundamental human rights recognized by the global community today.

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SECOND PART

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiesance of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity”.

(Article 1) The term “torture” encompasses a variety of methods including severe beatings, electric shock, sexual abuse and rape, prolonged solitary confinement, hard labor, near drowning, near suffocation, mutilation, and hanging for prolonged periods.

Although there is no exhaustive list of prohibited acts, international law has made it clear that torture is “cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.” In addition to the types of severe pain and suffering mentioned above, torture thus also includes being forced to stand spread eagled against the wall for hours; being subjected to bright lights or blindfolding; being subjected to continuous loud noise; being deprived of sleep, food or drink; being subjected to forced constant standing or crouching; or violent shaking. Moreover, torture is not limited to acts causing physical pain or injury. It includes acts that cause mental suffering, such as through threats against family or loved ones.

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Annual Report

2007- 2008 The negative repercussions of torture not only hinder the victim’s quality of life in general, but also are designed to shake the very foundation and dignity of entire communities.

For the past four decades, Israel has employed cruel and excessive military force against a largely defenseless Palestinian population in order to repress their ambitions in freedom and decent life. Thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed , 40% of them are women and children; thousands have been injured , with one out of every ten suffering permanent disabilities ; and the living majority are subject to the daily interferences by the occupation in their daily lives. Added to this , Israel has applied a wide spectrum of punishment means including detention, house demolitions, the Wall , Land confiscation and military checkpoints. All these measures have resulted in the emergence of thousands of bereaved families and tortured people.

Detention is among the most acute measures used by the Israelis to contain the Palestinian People. Not only does it harm and humiliate the detainees , but contributes to the emergence of new tortured and victimized social groups

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Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

inside the society. Those are the families and children of detainees.

In a clear violation to the international law, Israeli military system used to employ “exceptional� torture and humiliation means resulting both physical and psychological pressures against Palestinian detainees either to force them give confessions , to express despite or to break their spirit . Data extracted from interviews conducted by TRC with its clients have examined these torture methods and the frequency with which they are applied, as well as other harmful practices.

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Such Israeli measures against the Palestinian detainees completely coincide with the definition of torture as in CAT. In its ruling from September 1999, the Israeli supreme court determined that the Israeli interrogators did not have legal authority to use “physical means” against interrogees. However, the ruling approved the legitimacy of Pressure and discomfort as side-effects of

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2007- 2008 2008

On the other hand, the Israeli interrogation system includes several key aspects which harm, to varying degrees, the dignity and bodily integrity of the detainees. This injury is intensified considering the combined exercise of these aspects during the interrogation period which , according to TRC’research studies and interviews, can last for months.

These aspects include: Isolation from the outside world, the use of the conditions of imprisonment as a means of psychological pressure - holding in solitary confinement and in putrid, sleep disturbance, inadequate food supply , Shackling in painful positions for prolonged times - painful binding of the detainee’s hands and feet to a chair ,cursing and humiliation - cursing, strip searches, shouting, spitting etc. ,threats and intimidation - including the threat of physical torture, arrest of family members, etc., and the use of informants to extract information - this method is not harmful, as such, but its efficacy largely depends on the ill-treatment of detainees immediately preceding its implementation.

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Beating and humiliation and denial of basic needs at the hands of Israeli forces personnel from the moment of arrest until being transferred to the jail are among the findings of these interviews.

A vast majority of interviewed ex-detainees reported that they had undergone at least one of these forms of abuse, which are defined by international law as ill-treatment and means of torture.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

the necessities of the interrogation. A research study conducted by TRC on 600 Palestinian ex-detainees revealed that Israeli means of torture against Palestinian prisoners have turned to become more psychological since the issuance of this ruling. These innovative methods were employed against the vast majority of witnesses included in TRC’ researches. These measures are not inevitable sideeffects of the necessities of detention and interrogation, but are rather intended to break the spirit of the interrogees.

The abovementioned methods, and others, have been imposed on TRC’s clients in varying degrees of intensity. TRC clients are also those who have suffered ill, cruel and degrading treatment at checkpoints, closures and blockades, or who have endured or witnessed a house demolition, random shooting, explosions, attacks, sieges, raids and the arrest of someone else; many of these actions are constitute the main causes of trauma among TRC’s

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TRC works closely with local, regional and international organizations dedicated to treating Victims of Torture, eradicating torture and its negative long and short term effects and implementing international Human Rights standards, values and principles.

TRC works to embrace the Palestinian community at all levels and alleviate, if not erase, the enormous negative effects that torture has on the individuals, their families and communities. Many victims of torture begin to seek psychosocial treatment many years after being tortured because of the cultural stigma and shame related to mental health as well as embarrassment and lack of knowledge.

Through careful cooperation with relevant Palestinian institutions, TRC seeks out ex-detainees immediately upon their release through the Outreach Program and offers comprehensive psychosocial services. At present, over 11,000 Palestinian political prisoners are being held in Israeli detention and some 85% of them will endure some degree of physical and/or psychological torture. The number of ex-detainees, who had been either released recently or a longtime ago, and those who are still in prison is staggering; they will all, at some point, require psychological counseling in order to be able to reintegrate into their community. Thus, the services provided by TRC to victims of torture and organized violence and their families are important and very much needed by the individuals and community as a whole.

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2007- 2008

In April 2005, Human Rights watch reported that Israel practices abusive interrogation techniques such as isolation, denial of access to lawyers and family members, prolonged interrogation sessions use of collaborators to threaten detainees, and threats to family members (PASSIA, 2005). Furthermore, so as not to leave visible and incriminating physical marks, new methods of interrogation are being implemented, shifting the focus more towards the psychological aspects of torture. These methods are systematic and strategic and, although the scars are not visible, they are devastating. TRC’s statistics reveal that 40% of those who are tortured suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

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clients. Unfortunately, the incidents of trauma, whether as a result of torture, ill and degrading treatment or witnessing a traumatic event, have become common in Palestine.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

“Towards a Better Future …….... for Victims of Torture

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TRC’s Active Plan for 2007 “Training”

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2007- 2008

Training represents an essential component of TRC’ work centered in the promotion of human rights in the Palestinian community, as it’s related to both treatment and rehabilitation of victims of torture and prevention of torture “ the two basic components of TRC’ mission”. Based on the topic of trainings and the groups targeted by each , trainings provided by TRC can be classified to 4 categories.

First , there ‘re the long-term trainings which basically target mental health professionals from other institutes and organizations, undergraduate university students and social workers. These trainings are designed to raise awareness on mental health issues and human rights , as well as torture and its consequences on the victims and the community in general. The second kind of trainings are those trainings designed for law enforcement officials, which collectively aim to provide them with communication and conflict resolution skills in order to reduce the incidents of torture. The training for law enforcement officials is tailored specifically for high ranking officials so that they can train their subordinates,

Annual Report

THIRD PART

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

who are most likely to come in contact with detainees, in human rights issues ,rules of good governance and communication skills.

In order to fortify its role as a humanitarian organization and to foster a culture of human rights in the Palestinian community, TRC has always been keen to share its experience with other counterpart institutes and organizations in the Palestinian territory. In this context , TRC provides capacity building trainings for cadres of a variety of institutes including the Ministry of health , Ministry of detainees and ex-detainees and civil society organizations. These trainings , which collectively constitute the third kind of TRC’ trainings, help the trainees to better understand the psychosocial consequences of human rights abuses ;as well , they set up for the creation of a network devoted to fighting against the human rights mal-practice on the long-run . Moreover, TRC is aware of the necessity to keep developing the capacities of its own staff to accomplish the strategic objectives . For this , the fourth kind of trainings is dedicated to build the capacities of TRC’ administrative and technical staff.

During the year 2008 , TRC conducted 15 capacity building trainings in several fields related to TRC’ mission and strategic objectives . Through these trainings , TRC targeted a wide spectrum of beneficiaries. For instance , two groups of law enforcement agencies were targeted by two trainings aiming at the enhancement of human rights inside the Palestinian community ; both trainings were held in Ramallah province. University students from specializations like psychology , sociology and other related fields , mental health professionals and social workers were also targeted by our capacity building trainings . Seven training courses on applied mental health, psychotrauma and crisis intervention were designed and introduced to those in TRC’ offices in Ramallah, Nablus , Jenin and Hebron. A special training

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Enhancement of human rights inside the Palestinian community and Maintaining human dignity

Period 27, 28, 29 of May, 2008.

21, 22, 23 of September, 2008.

Feb,26th , 2008 Jun.10th,2008

Target groups

Law enforcement agencies

Law enforcement agencies

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges.

Fresh graduated and undergraduates

# of participants

Place

37

TRC Ramallah

40

Red Crescent society hall

23

TRC Ramallah

25

TRC Ramallah

Psycho-trauma & crisis intervention

th

Oct.14 , 2008 –Jan.20th , 2009

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges. Fresh graduated

17

2007- 2008

Title of the training

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course for 17 psychiatrists and psychologists from TRC and other counterpart institutions was conducted in TRC’ office in Ramallah for two consecutive days in the month of June . This course was concerned with “Auricular Acupuncture Protocol” and It aimed to train those psychiatrists and psychologists on how to use the acupuncture side by side with the individual and group therapy.

Along the year, other capacity building trainings for TRC’ personnel were organized . In this regard , two training courses on EMDR “ EMDR supervision and EMDR level II “ were organized during the month of October. Other three trainings on peer supervision , Narrative therapy and group therapy were organized during the months of July , September and December consecutively .

The below table gives more details on the content , participants of these trainings.

Psychologists and social workers from multi organizations

30

TRC Ramallah

Oct.12 , 2008 - Jan.25th , 2009

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges. Fresh graduated and undergraduates

25

TRC Ramallah

Mar.26th ,2008 - Jul.2nd , 2008

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges. Fresh graduated and undergraduates

22

TRC Jenin

Abr.2 , 2008 - Jul.16th ,2008

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges. Fresh graduated and undergraduates

30

TRC Nablus

Abr.3rd ,2008 -Jul.17th ,2008

Psychology and sociology and social workers and other related fields students from variety universities and colleges. Fresh graduated and undergraduates

25

TRC Hebron

29, 30 of June ,2008

psychiatrists and psychologist (both from inside and outside TRC)

17

TRC Ramallah

20, 23 of October ,2008

psychiatrists and psychologist (both from inside and outside TRC)

21 including 2 oversees trainees.

TRC Ramallah

psychiatrists and psychologist (both from inside and outside TRC)

23 trainees including one exemployee

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Feb.24th ,2008 - Jun.1st ,2008

Principles of Applied Mental Health

«Introduction to Applied Mental Health & Crisis Intervention”

Auricular Acupuncture protocol

EMDR level II

EMDR supervision

th

nd

15 of October ,2008 “ for 3 hours”

18

TRC Ramallah

Peer supervision training course

Group Therapy Training Course.

psychiatrists and psychologist (both from inside and outside TRC)

22

TRC Ramallah

Psychologists and social worker (from TRC & from multi organizations)

18

TRC Ramallah

Dec.22nd , 2008 - Dec.24th , 2008

Psychologists and social workers (TRC Team only)

22

TRC Ramallah

19

2007- 2008

28,30 of July 2008.

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Narrative therapy

10, 11 of September ,2008

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

“Media & Public awareness” An integral part of TRC’s mission towards accomplishing its developmental goals in the Palestinian territory is to raise the public awareness on the human rights in general and the human rights of victims of torture in particular. TRC’ long experience in working in the Palestinian territory has earned it a complete awareness of the role that media can play in raising the public awareness and the promotion of the human rights in the community. For this purpose , and in conjunction with each launched project, TRC used to release a public awareness or a media campaign to attain this mission . In this regard, TRC utilizes a diversity of media tools that can effectively help transmit its voice and message to the public. TRC, for instance, benefits of the wide spectrum of local and international T.V stations working in the Palestinian territory.

Moreover, using local radio stations proved to be of high efficiency concerning transmitting TRC’ voice to the public.

Media Interviews: The below chart “ Chart 01” demonstrates the types of media tools TRC relies on to perform one of the most effective media activities, which is the Interview. Furthermore, the chart shows the frequency in which TRC uses these tools. From this chart, it’s noticed that both local radio stations and Interviews

32 35 30 22 25 Local radio Interviews 20 Number 15

International Radio Local T.V 8

International T.V 5

10 5 0 1 Media Types

Chart 01

20

other tools

16 16

About the centre 14

14 12

12

Impacts of political and economic situation Youth issues

10

10

Youth issues

Frequency 8 Children Issues

6 4

2

2 Cases

2 0

On the Monthly report

1 Main Issues

Chart 02

on the reality of torture and its victims in the Palestinian territory. The chart below “ Chart 02” illustrates the main issues of 2008 media interviews and the space given to each issue within these interviews. According to the chart , issues related to the impacts of the current political and economic situation

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2007- 2008

During the year 2008 , 68 media interviews were performed with TRC’ staff members. Some of these interviews were conducted with the general director , some with members of the field staff , some with project managers , and the rest with TRC media coordinator. The interviews focused on a diversity of subjects related to the human rights of victims of torture, sociopolitical impacts of the current situation , youth issues , and children issues .

In some of these interviews victimized cases were invited as live testimonies

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International T.V stations rank first among the tools utilized by TRC in the field of the Media Interview. Dr. Mahmoud Sehwail, the general director of TRC, accounts for this by saying that the majority of the Palestinian people get the news or the amusement from local radio stations. “People listen to the radio everywhere, while driving, at homes, while on picnic and so on” He added. He always indicated that International T.V. stations can be so useful in transmitting the message of TRC , which is the message of tortured , to the Arab peoples and even to the international community.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

on the Palestinian people – in terms of promoting torture and its psychosocial effects- rank first among other issues. This fact coincides with TRC’s main task inside the community, which is promoting the human rights of tortured through identifying reasons, analyzing reality and providing services. TRC believes in that torture and organized violence practiced against the Palestinian people have stimulated depression , anxiety and other psychological disorders in Palestinian youth and children . Actually, about 40% of TRC’ clients are youth and children. For this, media interviews devoted to youth and children issues rank second among other issues. See “ Chart 02”.

To reach the maximum number of victims of torture , and to guarantee both the completion and the efficient transmission of its voice to the public , TRC needs to introduce itself first . Thus, a significant portion of 2008 media interviews were dedicated to present the centre to the public and explain its mission and goals.

Community awareness meetings : Community awareness meetings represent a basic component of TRC’ public awareness apparatus which significantly contributes to achieving TRC’ developmental goals in the Palestinian territory. Usually, TRC’ experienced staff members including : advocacy members, psychologists and social workers hold visits to schools, community centers , youth clubs and women organizations in marginalized zones aiming to organize massive meetings for groups of women or children in order to raise their awareness about torture , TRC’ mission , trauma, and other relevant issues. In the year 2008 , 345 community awareness meetings were conducted either at schools, Community awareness meetings

1% 1% 34% women children Child & wom.

Wom , child and men 64%

Chart 03

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2007- 2008

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community centers , kindergartens or municipalities in villages and neighborhoods allover the West Bank. In the majority of these meetings women and children were the target groups , look “Chart 03” . In the past decade , Palestinian women and children have had the misfortune to become either direct victims of Israeli procedures like target killings, arrests , house demolitions and military checkpoints , or indirect victims for being wives and children of killed or detainees. They are not less traumatized when exposed to such conditions and surroundings. On the other hand , the last decades of Palestinian people’ life have been stamped by the emergence of new social phenomena that arose as normal consequences of or reactions to the occupation’ ongoing policies against the Palestinians. Of these phenomena are the growing tendency of Palestinians towards reviving patriarchal norms and traditions, gender-based violence , street violence , aggressive behavior of children , working children and begging. It’s obvious that women and children are the most affected sectors by these emergent phenomena , which lead to changing them to the most marginalized groups inside the Palestinian society.

Of a total of 345 community raising awareness meetings performed in 2008, 225 were dedicated to children. The vast majority of these meetings were conducted at schools , some of them were held in kindergartens and summer camps locations however. From Chart 04, which demonstrates the main issues considered in these meetings and the frequency of each issue in all the meetings, we can see that subjects of violence and torture, which are represented by 22% and 21% respectively, rank first among other subjects of these meetings.

Focusing on the two issues by TRC is not a random process; in other words, the political, economic and social circumstances of the last 10 years justify well for selecting the two issues to be the key ones in the community raising awareness meetings conducted by TRC. The daily violence practiced against the Palestinian people including target killings, arrests , house demolitions , imposition of curfews for prolonged times , restrictions on movement of individuals and the Wall has critically affected Palestinian children , who represent more than 50% of the Palestinian population, along the past years.

Psychological disorders such as depression, anxiety and PTSD have become common in children who have lived through this conflict. A recent research made by TRC on a sample of 2331 school children from different locations in West Bank revealed that 10% of the sample were arrested by the Israeli army at least once ; 68% of the sample experienced the psychological violence at some point of their lives ; 36% lost a beloved one and 38% have had one

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

member of the family detained .

Political violence is not the only kind of violence Palestinian children suffer from. Still, they are subject to other kinds of violence like school violence and family violence. Research studies of TRC confirm that physical and verbal violence are still applied as means of punishment by school teachers, who themselves experience torture in their daily lives, in 96% of schools in West Bank. On the other hand , Palestinian children stand at the end of the increasing pressure and frustration inside their families due to the absence of one or the two parents, unemployment , poverty or displacement.

All these factors contribute significantly to the increasing aggressive behavior in the children. A recent study made by TRC on 98 children from different localities in West Bank demonstrate that 91% of children who displayed an aggressive behavior at school are victims of one or a combination of some of the above factors.

Violence, behavioral disorders and communications skills subjects are strongly correlated. More clearly, the availability of communications skills in the child certainly constitutes an alternative to aggressive and violent behavior towards other children; for this purpose, both communications skills and behavioral disorders were among the main subjects considered in the meetings, look “Chart 04�.

Originating from the belief that children rights can not be divisible, TRC takes into consideration adolescent issues and fun activities. Moreover, teaching

Main issues of community awareness meetings that targeted children

8%

22%

Violence and its kind

21%

Behavioral disorders communication skills adolescents issues 13%

10% 10%

16%

Chart 04

24

children rights torture Fun activities

13%

21%

TRC work Violence

22%

Crisis Intervention Torture 22% 22% Chart 05

25

Disorders in Children

2007- 2008

Main issues of community awareness meetings that targeted women

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the children and their parents, teachers and surroundings on universal children rights represent the star around which all other children issues rotate.

Community awareness meetings conducted by TRC in 2008 also targeted Palestinian women. Of a total of 345 meetings , they were targeted through 117 meetings. In any society , women represent the motivating power for the social transformation towards more peaceful society. They are the agents of change for more stabilized and developing society . Moreover, and as traditional caregivers, they represent the heart of the family ; maintaining the family and the fabric of the society requires women being empowered and equal to men .

In the Palestinian case, women are not less traumatized and humiliated by the ongoing circumstances. Like other sectors of the society , they suffer from the occupation procedures that interfere with every aspect of their daily lives. They bear disproportionately the consequences of war and suffer violations of human rights including torture , disappearance and family separation and displacement. Moreover, they endure lifelong social and psychological traumas. Furthermore, being a women in a society that has been under the control of patriarchy and discriminatory laws is an added challenge for the Palestinian women. Palestinian women are discriminated against in laws , education , medical services , jobs, and salaries. The last 8 years have added other burdens to the Palestinian women. As caregivers ,

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

they have to compensate for the absence of men who are either imprisoned , murdered or unemployed. On the other hand , the inability of male members of the families to fulfill their duties as traditional supporters of the families made women more vulnerable to the violence exerted by the frustrated male members of the family , something that essentially contributes to the mental health problems of women.

As a humanitarian and developmental organization , TRC has long been aware of the positive role women can play in the society. For this purpose, they are considered one of its main target groups . They are prioritized in the trainings ; in the treatment and rehabilitation services and in receiving medications. Even in public awareness and media campaigns , women are always given the priority.

“Chart 05” illustrates the main issues covered in the community raising awareness meetings that targeted women as well as the frequency of each issue in these meetings in 2008. It’s deduced from the chart that TRC’ work , violence , torture and crisis intervention, which are almost represented equally in the chart ,were the central issues focused on by TRC in the community raising awareness meetings for women . This is evident that TRC is extremely conscious of the extent to which these issues are vital to the Palestinian women. TRC strongly believes in that women at wartimes stand at the receiving end of the daily torture practiced against the Palestinian people and increased pressures and violence. They live the same trauma and violence lived by others ; however, they are the silent victims of torture who are forced to provide care and comfort for others ignoring at the same time their own pains and sufferings. Introducing TRC as developmental, humanitarian and service organization for Palestinian women is of great importance for many reasons. Principally , women in the Palestinian society represents the heart of the family for being the caregivers ; in other words, they are the only family members who can realize and evaluate the real needs of their family members . Thus, when they become more aware of TRC’ role , they will certainly encourage other family members to seek TRC’ services for the comfort of their families , which leads to fostering the culture of human rights in Palestine as well as enhancing the role of TRC inside the community.

To the child , mother represent the most important person in his life . She is the caregiver, the educator and the role model. Moreover , she transmits aspects of her depressive affective and cognitive style to her children. So , children disorders were given a good space in the community raising awareness meetings dedicated for women .

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Subject

Target Group

Psychological effects resulting from arrests and loss of beloved

Bereaved, Secondary victims of torture , representatives of organizations

Strategies of referring

Students of nursing faculty

On the loss of beloved and mourning

Posttraumatic disorder in Palestinian children

Secondary V.O.T

Primary & Secondary V.O.T

Ages

+18

+18

+18

+18

Gender M/F Or Mixed

Mixed

Mixed

Females

Mixed

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Attendance

Place Date

40

30

30

50

21.1.2008

Union of working women committees / Nablus

18.3.2008

Al- Najah National University / Nablus

24.4.2008

Nablus Women club / Balatah refugees camp / Nablus

5.5.2008

Jenin Al-Faraa Refugee camp

2007- 2008

Resulting from the experience gained along the years , TRC strongly believes in the unique role that universities , faculties , institutes and civil society organizations can play in promoting the culture of human rights in the Palestinian territory. For this, TRC organizes several workshops each year in cooperation with these institutions to build common work strategies , evaluate achievements and share experiences.

In 2008 , several workshops were conducted in cooperation with a variety of national institutes and civil society organizations. Most workshops were concerned with issues related to torture and its consequences on the different segments of the Palestinian society. Other workshops were concerned with subjects like torment faced by the Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli Jails , strategies of referring and role of formal and informal sectors in promoting the psychological health in Palestine. The following table briefs the most important workshops conducted during 2008 .

Annual Report

Workshops:

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Psychological effects of trauma in Palestinian children in Jenin

Students & teachers(ministry of education)+ Media representatives

+18 & -18

Mixed

70

6.4.2008

Jenin

Role of formal and informal foundations in promoting the psychological health in Palestine

Psychologists & worker in the mental health field

+18

Mixed

40

21.8.2008

TRC branch in Jenin

Cooperation strategies with UNDP programs

Psychologists & worker in the mental health field

+18

Mixed

35

16.1.2008

TRC branch in Hebron

Involuntary urination

Students and Secondary .V.O.T

+18 & -18

Females

30

5.5.2008

TRC branch in Hebron

Aggressive Behavior in children

V.O.T from the wall

Mixed

40

18.6.2008

TRC branch in Hebron

+18

Ramadan Meetings: Annually, during the holly month of Ramadan, TRC organizes a number of mass breakfasts to which bereaved families, ex-detainees and secondary victims of torture are invited. TRC takes advantage of this occasion to present itself and its mission to the public. Moreover, this occasion represents an opportunity for TRC to approach more the victims of torture and identify their needs. TRC also makes use of these meetings to raise awareness on issues like torture and its psychological effects, violence, preventive strategies, simple treatment methodologies. In 2008, two mass breakfasts were organized, One in Badran halls in Ramallah city and the other in Al- Ahlam restaurant in Nablus city. More than 800 people of victims of torture including bereaved families, women, children, and ex-detainees attended the breakfasts.

Palestinian prisoners’ day “ Apr.17th “ : Celebrating the Palestinian prisoners’ day is an annual event on TRC’ agenda.

4 annual conferences are organized by TRC’ four branches in the provinces of

28

2007- 2008

29

Annual Report

Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin and Hebron. For TRC, the question of Palestinian detainees in Israeli jails is a humanitarian priority; for this, TRC is engaged in all national, regional and international effort made to free them. TRC strongly believe that the torture inflicted against the Palestinian detainees in the Israeli Jails is a source for other tortures and pains in the Palestinian community. For this, and in addition to the great effort made to trigger the world conscious on their issue, TRC provide its medical, psychiatric and psychosocial services for their families and for them as ex-detainees. Moreover, TRC launches annual raising awareness campaigns aiming at stimulating and unifying the national effort for their question. Palestinian prisoners’ day, which is celebrated annually, come under the umbrella of these campaigns. In 2008, Palestinian prisoners’ day was celebrated by TRC in the 4 provinces in which TRC ‘branches exist. There were four conferences that witnessed the participation of various popular fractions, political parties, civil society organizations, ex-detainees and governmental representatives. The four conferences came up with a number of recommendations as under:

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

The International community is demanded to intensify efforts in supporting victims of torture around the world , especially in Palestine .

The Palestinian people call for an international intervention to pressure Israel to cease its daily human rights violations against it , first and most by ending its cruel occupation.

The International community is required to practice pressure on the Israeli governments to accept applying control procedures in its jails and detention centers as well as to accept processing the individual complaints in accordance with the international treaties on combating torture.

- The International community is required to demand Israel to approve the additional supplement of the united nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or

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-

June 26th, UN Day in Support of Victims of Torture, is another commemoration day celebrated annually by TRC . TRC usually marks this important day through carrying out various activities like organizing seminars, raising awareness sessions, conferences and launching advocacy campaigns. In 2008, TRC , in coordination with United Against Torture Coalition, including the Italian organization ICS, celebrated this day through organizing a two day international conference in Ramallah city.

The first day of this conference was dedicated to presentations by officials and professionals who work with victims of torture, including mental health and legal professionals, while the second day involved several training workshops on how to gain access to detention centers and detainees.

“Treatment And Rehabilitation” In 2008 TRC continued providing and expanding its treatment and rehabilitation service to the survivors of torture. Indeed, there was a noticeable increase in the number of torture survivors who received TRC’services.

The fame that TRC has acquired along the years for both the quantity and the quality of its services and the increasing public awareness due to the effective and extraordinary media campaigns on mental health and human rights lead by it both account for the higher numbers of tortured people seeking its services. Furthermore, the existence of branch offices in the northern and southern regions of the West Bank has significantly contributed to maximizing the number of the beneficiaries , as it has become reality that individual movement from a place to another in West Bank is encountered with the restrictions imposed by the occupation. In addition, many of TRC’

31

2007- 2008

International Day in Support of Torture Victims 26th of June:

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-

Punishment (CAT) , which permits neutral parties to hold visits to the detention centers.

The Palestinian National Authority is required to include the subject of torture and its reasons and consequences in the Palestinian curriculum.

Political arrests are forbidden.

Both Palestinian legislation and officials are demanded to keep up implementing the Anti-Torture law , to coordinate efforts with the branches of PNA to prevent torture , and to combat it at all levels ,as well as prosecuting those who commit it.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

clients do not have stable sources of income and are not able to cover the transportation cost, which, thereby, hinders their ability to reach our office in Ramallah. Through the establishment of our branch offices, TRC has been able to facilitate access to our services to a greater number of people. In addition, our therapists are able to reach more regions through the outreach program at every branch.

Out of 1193 active clients on TRC’ 2008 caseload , 722 were cases from the previous year who were still receiving treatment and rehabilitation services and the rest were new cases. As illustrated in diagram I , the majority “ 73%” of 2008 active caseload were provided the services at their homes through the outreach program , while 27% received the services in TRC’ branch offices.

The gap between the two percentages demonstrates how much the outreach program is vital for TRC’ work. Simply , it acts as a beating heart of our work.

It minimizes the risks of provision of our treatment and rehabilitation services like poverty level in the Palestinian community, the movement restrictions imposed by the Israeli army and the stigma attached to visiting clinicians at their clinics.

Moreover , this program proved to be highly efficient in raising public awareness on mental health and human rights . Diagram I shows that Gender perspective is also considered in TRC’ work , as 570 cases out of the total number of 2008 caseload are women. TRC is completely aware of Palestinian women’ sufferings as primary or secondary victims of torture and organized violence . Women suffer from the occupation procedures that interfere with every aspect of their lives. They bear disproportionately the consequences of war and suffer violations of human rights in Palestine , including torture , disappearance and family separation and displacement. Moreover, they endure lifelong social and psychological traumas.

However, being a women in a society that has been under the control of patriarchy and discriminatory laws is an added challenge for the Palestinian women.

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Annual Report

Palestinian women are discriminated against in laws , education , medical services , jobs, and salaries. The last years have added other burden to the Palestinian women. As caregivers , they have to compensate for the absence of men who are either imprisoned , murdered or unemployed. On the other hand , the inability of male members of the families to fulfill their duties as traditional supporters of the families made women more vulnerable to the violence exerted by the frustrated male members of the family , something that essentially contributes to the mental health problems of women.

2007- 2008

33

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

In 2008 , 15363 treatment sessions were conducted for victims of torture from different localities in West Bank, about two thirds of them were performed through our outreach program and the rest were in office. Most of these sessions were conducted for clients who receive regular follow-up. TRC therapists ,however, often meet with individuals who don’t need long term treatment and only require one or two sessions of treatment. Of the total number of treatment sessions “15363”, there were 2398 such sessions conducted. While these sessions are not included in the number of active cases, they place a great deal of demand on TRC’s resources and staff time. However, this is seen as a form of preventative care as it means that individuals are coming into the Center for assistance before they reach a crisis period, which is a positive reflection of the growing understanding of the importance of mental health.

Female cases 570

Male cases 623

# of new cases 471 Number of 2008 active cases: 1193 # of old cases 722

Diagram 1

Outreach cases 876

In-office cases 317

Approximately one third of TRC’ 2008 caseload are ex-detainees who have been tortured; this group is the primary victims of torture. The two other major categories of traumas that we have treated are “members of bereaved families” and those who are victims of “war consequences and collateral damage”; these clients are secondary victims as they are indirectly affected by the consequences of the trauma suffered by their family members. Our clients also include those who have been wounded or had their homes demolished.

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Family Therapy sessions: Family therapy sessions, which involve extended members of one family, were organized in Salfit, Anata, Hebron and Bethlehem. Each case, TRC therapists met with the families once a week for a period of approximately four months. In Salfit, the sessions were organized from June to late October.

35

2007- 2008

These group therapy sessions are normally held once a week for a period of sixteen weeks. Over the past year 13 therapy groups were formed, and 180 sessions were conducted at the 4 branches of TRC.

Annual Report

Therapy treatment is not limited to individual therapy sessions, but also includes group sessions for target groups, such as women, children, ex-detainees. While individual therapy enables the person to deal with his or her trauma directly, the group sessions provides cases with a safe environment in which they can share each other their experiences, which serves to decrease their sense of alienation. In addition, the sessions are a forum in which they can support each other; thereby giving themselves a sense of purpose and strength. Some group sessions are formed according to the social conditions of individuals, such as ex-detainees or wives of detainees, but other sessions are organized for an entire family. The nature of the group determines the form of treatment to be used. For instance, children’s group sessions would utilize the play therapy technique.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

In Anata, which is part of the expanded Jerusalem boundaries, the family received group therapy treatment from January to June.

The family in Hebron met with therapists from July, 2008 and has just held their last therapy session on January 14, 2009. The other family group therapy was organized for a family in Bethlehem; the sessions were held from May 2008 until January 2009.

Non-family Group Therapy sessions: Group therapy is a form of treatment that permits the most rapid and efficient method of scaling up services to meet the expanding demand.

Group therapy is also particularly well suited to our clients, since it engages them as agents of their own rehabilitation; actively encourages reciprocal, peer to peer sharing and learning; builds a sense of social solidarity and mutual support; and helps dilute much of the stigma attached to visiting an individual clinician. Most group therapy sessions conducted by TRC’ therapists and co-therapist in 2008 were held in remote areas of the West Bank; few were conducted in TRC’ branch offices. Therapy groups targeted by our services are usually formed by our technical staff working in the field. They are formed according to similarities in their experiences of trauma so as to enable them to establish a common understanding of their circumstances and traumas. For this, our therapy groups can be either women, children or ex-detainees groups.

Women’s experiences are highly shaped by their social roles as caregivers to their family members; as mothers, daughters and sisters, women are often expected to deal with the traumas of their male relatives and maintain the family cohesion. This

36 36

There were a total of seven women’ groups formed along the year; the groups met approximately once per week over several months. There of these groups were formed in Jenin; one in Abu Dis; one in Ramallah ; one in Nablus and the other in Hebron. In most of these sessions, participating women were either mothers of detainees , wives of detainees , mothers of martyrs or wives of martyrs. Cognitive, behavioral and narrative therapies

37

2007- 2008

Women’s Group meetings provide women, who share the same experiences, to express their feelings without fear of being judged or dismissed; it enables them to learn from each others’ experiences, which also breaks their sense of isolation. Moreover, listening to the experiences, feelings and fears of other women helps to validate their own feelings and experiences. The group meetings also serve as forum for collectively find the best solutions for dealing with the challenging problems. Group meetings utilize narrative therapy treatment.

Annual Report

places a great deal of extra pressure and stress on them, yet their own ordeals go unrecognized.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

were the main approaches of these sessions. In many cases , medications were provided to these women as part of TRC’ commitment towards their rehabilitation . More details about women group therapy sessions are provided in the list below.

In the case of children group therapy a higher degree of interaction between therapists and participants is usually required. Play therapy is the most effective form of therapy with children as it allows them to express their feelings without the need for words; it also provides them with an opportunity to play with each another. The play therapy sessions consist of three phases: 1. Building trust – exchange of expectations and agreement of the cooperation between therapist and the client 2. The session, including art and play therapy activities.

3. Expression of feelings after the session and identification of positive changes.

The results varied among the three branches for a number of reasons, such as travel restrictions and poor economic situations which could have limited the ability of some individuals to reach our offices. However, our clinic in Hebron, which is severely affected by the large concentration of settlers and constant presence of a high number of soldiers as well as serve a large geographical region, including Bethlehem, had the highest number of children clients.

Children in much of the Hebron region experience daily harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers because they come into contact with them in the streets and on their way to school and not just predominately at checkpoints, as is the case in other areas of the West Bank.

There were a total of 4 therapy groups targeting children were organized throughout the West Bank in 2008. Each group met approximately once a week over several months. They were: Men groups were also targeted through our group therapy sessions. During 2008 , 2 men groups were formed ; the first was in Hebron while the second was in Bethlehem. The first was formed from men who suffered from war consequences like house demolitions , loss of sons or the Wall while the second was formed from ex-detainees. For both groups the focus was on cognitive and narrative therapy .

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Cog-behavior

Play Therapy

Art Therapy

Art Therapy

Mar 24th Aug 20th June 5th Aug 21st Mar 23rd -Oct 12th

Apr 9th Sep 28th

Men G.Therapy

Children G.Therapy

Women G.Therapy

Children G.Therapy

Alkhawarzme School

TRC office

Abu Dees

Abu Dees

Hebron

Nablus

Jerusalem

Jerusalem

Cog-behavior

Nov 21st .07- Apr 30th .08

Children G.Therapy

Jericho

15

16

11

13

15

17

13 Children

9 Men

10 Children

10 women

11 Children

War con. Men

Detainees, Kids of Martyrs Mothers & wives of Detainees

War con. Kids

16 Children

10 women

10 women

# of Participants

War con. Kids

War con. Kids

Mothers of Martyrs

Mothers of Detainees

Target Group

2007- 2008

Jericho

Art Therapy

Mar 26th -Aug 6th

Children G.Therapy

Silwad

Ramallah

15

Cogbehaviour+Narr

Mar 27th July 27th

Women G.Therapy

TRC office

Jenin

14

Cognitive therapy , Behavioral therapy and medications

June 1st – Sept 7th

Women G.Therapy

Selyet Alharthieyh

Jenin

# of Sessions

Approach

Date

Kind of group therapy

Place

District

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39

40

TRC office

TRC office

Hebron

TRC office

Jenin

Nablus

Men G.Therapy

Aida Refugee Camp

Bethlehem

Women G.Therapy

Women G.Therapy

Women G.Therapy

Women G.Therapy

TRC office

Ramallah

Cogbehaviour+Narr

Jun.6th – Dec.12th

Cogbehaviour+Narr

Oct 22nd .07- Mar 13th .08 Narrative therapy

Narrative Therapy

June12th .08- Jan 28th .09

Sep.3rd – Dec.25th

Cog-behavior

Nov 5th .08Jan 18th .09

15

15

14

16

9

Wives of exdetainees

Wives of exdetainees

Wives of Martyrs

Ex-Detainees

Mothers & wives of Martyrs

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

9 women

9 women

8 Women

7 Men

6 Women

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2007- 2008

Summer camps for children, who are secondary victims of torture, have a very unique dimension; they are organized over a period of two weeks in the summer and are considered a central part of the services that we provide to families of the victims of torture. The summer camps compliment the services, including individual and group therapy, that are special geared to meet the needs of children.

Play therapy is the primary form of therapy that is used when dealing with children; all of our branches have specially designated areas that have been decorated and equipped in a manner that would appeal to the children. However, the summer camps, which are held in open spaces and facilitated by teams of social workers and volunteers, provide the children with a safe and fun environment to express their feelings and debrief while also taking part in recreational activities. Children are taught new skills in relaxation techniques, stress management, problem-solving and self-control, as well as methods for maintaining positive self-esteem and personal security. Every year, a total of 160 children participate in the summer camps that are held in all four branches.

Annual Report

Therapeutic Summer Camps:

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

TRC’ 2008 caseload distribution according to the district: TRC ‘treatment and rehabilitation services provided to survivors of torture and organized violence cover the whole Palestinian territory.

However, the magnitude of these services is varying according to the number of clients supported in each district. Chart 06 illustrates that most of the clients on TRC’ 2008 caseload are either from Ramallah , Jenin, Hebron or Nablus , represented on the chart by 346 , 313 , 190 and 182 cases respectively. Actually, this is not a kind of prioritization , as TRC’s interest domain is the whole West Bank. However, It seems that the presence of TRC ‘ branches in the four mentioned provinces represents a crucial factor in facilitating access to TRC ‘ services. It’s of great importance to mention that the professional staff in the northern and southern branch offices is able to provide the same high quality treatment offered in Ramallah. Moreover, the existence of these branches strengthens and concentrate the work of TRC’ outreach staff , as it facilitates their traveling to the neighboring villages and camps to explore traumatized cases and provide the services for them.

2008 TRC' active cases distribution

350 Bethlehem

300

Hebron

250

Jenin Jericho

Number of 200 cases 150

Jerusalem Nablus Qualquilya

100

Ramallah 50

Salfeet Tubas

0 1 Districts Chart 06

42

Tulkarem

Vocational training is seen as an integral part of the rehabilitation and treatment of victims of torture; it provides them with the necessary skills to enter the job market and become productive members of the community. Last year, TRC, in cooperation with the Italian Consortium for Solidarity (ICS), provided two training courses in Nablus; one was a Mosaic Workshop, which was offered to two groups, and the other was a Computer Course.

The Computer Course was given over a 3 week period in October; there were for a total of 29 participants selected from the VOT and their families. Since there was a limit on the number of participants and high demand for vocational training, TRC technical staff conducted a needs assessment of their cases in order to select those who are most likely to benefit from such training. The main objective of the training was to familiarize participants with computer program application.

ICS, which was our partner in the implementation of the vocational training, chose the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) as the training program; this is a training program that consists of seven separate modules covering computer theory and practice. The ICDL was developed by the

43

2007- 2008

At the Mosaic Workshop, the selected 24 participants learned how to make and market mosaic art. The course began with theoretical information about the art itself, the cultural heritage, and history of mosaics, including ones found in Palestine. This was followed by practical training that provided the participants in the basic skills necessary for making mosaics.

Annual Report

Vocational Rehabilitation

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

major European Computer Societies and a recognized IT qualification certificate. The ICDL certificate will improve the job opportunities of the beneficiaries as it will enable them to demonstrate their competency in several computer program applications.

TRC covered the travel and food expenses for all participants, in both the computer and mosaic course, to ensure their full and continuous attendance throughout the entire period of the trainings. In addition, the participants in the mosaic training received a complete set of tools necessary to produce Mosaic pieces.

An evaluation of the vocational training courses, which included a survey of the beneficiaries, revealed that the beneficiaries were satisfied with the training. They indicated that the courses improved their self-confidence and provided them with new skills. They also noted that it served as an opportunity for them to develop new contacts and was a constructive use of their time.

Research and Documentation The annual summer camps, which were first implemented in 2001, are an important activity that is directly tailored for children who are secondary victims of torture. Summer Camps have been enriched year by year with new ideas and activities; they have become an indispensable element of therapy treatment for children. Last year TRC decided to conduct a study to assess the impact of the summer camps on the children and, by extension, their families.

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Annual Report

2007- 2008 The purpose of the investigation was to get a clear view of the effectiveness of the summer camps in reducing behavioral problems among children. The findings aimed to examine if the therapy applied during the camps helped to reduce the behavior problems among the children and to provide them with new skills for dealing with traumas. It also aimed to identify any areas for improving the summer camps. In order to achieve these results, TRC practitioners, with help from the teams who facilitated the previous camps, developed a questionnaire that measures different behaviors among the

45

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

children; the questionnaire was completed by the parents before and after the summer camp; this enabled us to get a clear idea of the changes in behavior of the children in the short term. In order to assess the long term impact, TRC staff met with the parents four months after the end of the summer camp. The study included all 180 children, who come from 4 different areas of the West Bank, and produced very useful results, for future reference.

Generally, the researchers noticed a decrease in the indicators of trauma and drop in the level of stress among children; they were found to be more cooperative, better integrated into the family and demonstrated less violent behavior. Particularly positive was the fact that the children had adopted what they had learned at the camps into their leisure activities with their siblings and peers; they replaced the violent games with skills based or arts activities that they had learned at the summer camp. It was also found that they were better prepared to cope with new traumas.

Parents play a major role in the process of treatment and rehabilitation of their children. They give them the continuous support that is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the results achieved at the camps. Parents have been trained in the methods for dealing with their children’s traumas; they were also taught in how to incorporate the games used at the camps at home into their interactions with their children.

In terms of the positive outcomes, according to the parents surveyed, many of the children were no longer having nightmares or wetting their beds. From a medical point of view, these details are strong evidence of the decrease in the level of trauma. Like public meetings, the activity gave VOT an opportunity to meet and exchange their experiences and approaches of dealing with the affect of torture on the family, in general, and the children, in particular.

When asked to evaluate the summer camps, the parents expressed their gratitude for the organizers and suggested that the period of the summer camps be extended. In addition, they recommended that TRC to organize weekly activities, like those organized for the summer camps, in order to provide their children with a positive and safe environment to express their feelings and enjoy fun activities.

TRC is planning to increase the number of beneficiaries and is hoping to lengthen duration of the summer camps to three weeks.

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A) Institutional development and program evaluation Institutional Development

Program Evaluation TRC hired an external consultant to conduct a thorough evaluation of its program and their effectiveness. The consultant was asked to: Assess the program design, implementation mechanism and results in terms of the stated immediate objectives.

Evaluate TRC’s relevance to address the needs of Palestinian society to create a successful and sustainable model.

Assess strengths and weaknesses of the program’s performance and ways to improve work processes and future implementation.

Identify the main obstacles, concerns and opportunities encountered during implementation and how they were tackled.

Assess the technical assistance and training provided to the program as well as the extent of their applications, including an assessment of management capabilities and skills to run the program efficiently and effectively.

Identify the training and technical needs of those involved in the program to foster their operation in a professional

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2007- 2008

The work towards the goal of building TRC’s institutional capacity began with the evaluation of the overall progress of the TRCs program for the past three years, which was conducted by an external consultant, Institutional Development and Reform Associates (IDaRA). This assessment was the basis for the development of the Strategic Plan 2009 – 2011. In parallel, TRC persistently enhanced its capacity by deepening the knowledge and improving skills of its employees, through their participation in a number of international and local conferences in the field of mental health and human rights.

Annual Report

FOURTH PART

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

and sustainable manner.

Determine the extent to which the outputs were achieved.

Assess the developmental impact on the community as a whole and specific target groups from economic and psychosocial aspects.

Analyze the partnership process as well as its impact on project implementation and added value.

Assess project sustainability both institutionally and financially.

-Conduct a full scope organizational capacity assessment, including governance, management, human resources, finance, monitoring and evaluation, networking, fundraising, etc., all of which are part of an effective organization, The Team of experts reached many positive conclusions. There were also some suggestions for improvements in the organizational capacity in order to help TRC deal with the high demand for its services.

In terms of therapy, TRC keeps fully up-to-date with the latest international trends. The Report states that: “Besides the more conventional types of individual psychotherapy, such as cognitive/behavioral therapy, psychiatric treatment and pharmacotherapy, many new interventions have been introduced, such as EMDR and brief and short-term therapy. Moreover, with the shift of focus on community approaches, with more emphasis on empowerment and the reduction of stress factors on community, group and family level, a diversity of psychosocial programmes emerged, such as self-support groups, social-educational groups, creative activities, body and art group interventions, counseling, and so forth.”

On the financial side, TRC also received very good marks; the report states: “TRC is using a very good computerized accounting system. This system is able to retrieve the required data very easily, and to generate any kind of report as requested by any party (e.g. donor, management, board, etc…).”

In terms of organizational capacity and external relations, the consultant report notes: “TRC is reasonably well known within the Palestinian communities

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The challenges identified in the organizational capacity are known to the Board of management and have been tackled in the new Strategic Plan 20092011. Over the next three years and in line with the Strategic Plan, TRC will continue to develop programs and improve its staff’s capacity in order to meet the needs of its clients and the community at large. Concurrently, TRC will continue taking a leadership role in working with a broader array of community resources, and it will explore the possibility of actively engaging volunteers.

The mission of TRC remains unchanged and will be pursued by the dedicated teams in all four TRC branches. The four main goals are: 1. To provide high quality treatment and rehabilitation services to victims of torture 2. To raise public awareness through various advocacy initiatives.

3. To build organizational capacity through research and training

49

2007- 2008

The consultant identified a couple of areas that require some improvement, mainly Advocacy and Awareness raising activities and the professional qualifications of the staff. TRC is already working on remedying these shortcomings; we have started a extensive recruitment process to fill vacancies. Unfortunately, TRC has faced a great deal of difficulty in recruiting a qualified individual for the position of Communication and Advocacy officer, which has been open since June 2008; this has had a significant impact on our capacity to carry out major advocacy and awareness raising campaign. We received over 600 resumes in response to the hiring campaign that we launched at the beginning of 2009. We are currently in the process of interviewing shortlisted candidates for all available positions.

Annual Report

of the West Bank and perceived by clients / beneficiaries as open and responsive to community needs. This fact was confirmed by a ‘Customer Satisfaction Survey’ conducted in 2007 by Alpha International on behalf of TRC that showed rather great satisfaction by recipients of TRC services. The organization is fully aware of the power of public relations and actively seeks opportunities to engage in these activities, such as its active membership at IRCT and the presence of TRC Board of Advisors composed of internationally recognized figures that promote the rights of victims of torture and organized violence.”

4. To ensure Institutional sustainability of the organization.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

For more details about our future strategy, please refer to Section 5 - Planned activities for the coming six months.

B) Conferences and workshops Mental health and psychosocial care for victims of torture and organized violence, whether in conflict or post conflict situations, requires a comprehensive, multi-sector and multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, networking with other relevant organizations is of high importance.

TRC staff participates in conferences and workshops for specialists in the treatment of mental health disorders. TRC usually sends 1-2 specialists to participate in conferences and trainings abroad; we ensure that new therapists are given an opportunity to participate in these conferences in order to advance their knowledge and skills, learn about new approaches and developments in their field and exchange ideas with their international peers.

Managerial staff also participates in networking events.

In 2008, TRC staff attended at a number of conferences and workshops locally and internationally.

One of the psychologist attended a conference on trauma, hosted by the CVT in Belagio/Italy (8-13 December); the manager of the Nablus and Ramallah offices went to Amman for a conference under auspices of the CAT1 (18 December). The Director General of TRC served as a keynote speaker at the post-conference workshop on Mental Health (Victims of Torture and Refugees), The Many faces of Trauma, which was held on 5-8 November 2008, in Michigan, USA. The workshop was a part of a larger event titled: The 5th National Conference on Health Issues in the Arab American Community; the Director General spoke about The Phenomenon of Violence in Palestine.

In March, one psychologist from Ramallah attended a workshop on art therapy in Germany. She presented a case study about a girl from the West Bank, who has severe symptoms of trauma, resulting from the frequent and repeated harassment of her family by Israeli soldiers. One of the workshop days was dedicated to a research and expertise exchange trip to a University in the Netherlands.

In June, 5 members of TRC (2 from Ramallah, 2 from Hebron and 1 from Nablus) went to Turkey to give training to 19 professionals from 3 newly 1 - Coalition Against Torture

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In the area of advocacy, TRC established a number of cooperation with organisations, such as Hurriyat and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, with the aim of working on campaigns to prevent torture; the independent consultant states in his report that “TRC’s networking and cooperation in the area of prevention of torture is good and satisfying.”

Problems encountered and successes achieved: Problems encountered: Due to some travel restrictions, it was not always possible to obtain a visa or permit in order to attend an important meeting or conference; for example, TRC staff members could not attend a seminar on the Clinical Supervision and Care for Caregivers, which was held in Lebanon last December.

Successes Achieved: Over the past year, TRC completed the EC funded project, Strengthening of rehabilitation services to victims of torture in the North and South of West Bank. The project, which was for three years, aimed at improving the mental health care of people with limited access to high quality services, raising public awareness about the consequences of torture, and the related mental health implications, as well as strengthening the organizational capacity of TRC, by upgrading its branch offices.

2- Women Center for Legal Aid and Counseling

51

2007- 2008

TRC staff also actively participated in a large number of conferences in the West Bank. Since many of the events were held in the Jenin region, TRC Jenin staff had the opportunity to benefit from many workshop, including Workshop on Counseling Skills and Crisis Intervention, which was coordinated by the Psychologist Support Team on 22 October. They also attended the WCLAC2 workshop on the Family Protection Law that was held in Tubas on 28 October and the UNIFEM workshop for bereaved women that was held on 25 November. TRC staff also attended a workshop on Social Work that was held at al Quds University.

Annual Report

established centers in Iraq. Since representatives of TRC were mainly psychologists and the participants from Iraq were practitioners of the psychiatry, the meeting gave both teams the opportunity to exchange their expertise and experience. This initiative was coordinated by IRCT Network.

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

An evaluation of the Summer Camps, which included both a pre and post summer camp survey about the behavior of the children, was conducted this year. This evaluation has enabled us to assess the effectiveness of this activity and to identify areas for improvement.

The survey results confirmed to us the importance of the activity and highlighted the need to expand to in order to accommodate more children.

TRC has had the opportunity to participate in a number of international meetings and conferences. We were able to present data on victims of torture as well as the results of our research to international audiences, which helped to raise our visibility and expand our networks. Moreover, through our participation in these conferences, our staff have acquired more knowledge and developed their skills.

Lastly, an independent consultant was commissioned to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of TRC programs, which became the basis for the 2009-2011 Strategic Plan (available for review upon request).

C) Assumptions and risk factors.

The biggest risk is posed by uncertainty of the political situation in the West Bank; the Israeli attack on Gaza Strip at the end of December 2008 has brought the risk factor back to the agenda. In addition, the psychological effects, although not as severe, will not be limited to Gaza since many people in the West Bank will be affected by the images that they are seeing on television, which may increase the demand for our services. However, we are confident that we will be able to cope with the increased demand with our highly committed professional staff, including those at our branch office in the North and South of the West Bank.

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## ITEM

1

REATMENT/PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSISTANCE

ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS TRAINING UNIT RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONAL COST AND SUPPORT STAFF 8 DEVELOPMENT & CAPACITY BUILDING 9 TRC-ICS PARTNERSHIP 10 TRC-ICS-ICS Partnership GRAND TOTAL

PERCENTAGE

389,520

37%

67,657 21,504 21,893 74,867 303,185

6% 2% 0% 2% 7% 29%

23,615

2%

146,577 4,002 1,052,820

14% 0.4% 100%

Budget Item Expenses 2008 ##

ITEM

ACTUAL (USD)

PERCENTAGE

1

REATMENT/PSYCHOSOCIAL ASSISTANCE

428,367

31%

2

ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC AWARENESS

55,255

4%

3

TRAINING UNIT

33,223

2%

4

RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION

12,445

1%

5

RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT

12,848

1%

6

ADMINISTRATION

79,500

6%

7

OPERATIONAL COST AND SUPPORT STAFF

374,319

27%

8

DEVELOPMENT & CAPACITY BUILDING

100,870

7%

9

TRC-ICS PARTNERSHIP

138,114

10%

10

TRC-RCT-ICS PARTNERSHIP

53,837

4%

11

Exchange Rate Difference

GRAND TOTAL

53

80,032

6%

1,368,809

100%

2007- 2008

2 3 4 5 6 7

ACTUAL (USD)

Annual Report

Budget Items Expenses 2007

54

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Annual Report

2007- 2008

55

Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture

Acknowledgment: Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for victims of Torture would like to acknowledge the generosity of the following organizations and corporations for their contributions during 2008; their support has enabled TRC to provide a number of important services to ex-detainees, deprived families and children.

European Commission “ EC”

Netherlands Representative Office “NRO”

Center For Victims Of Torture “CVT”

International Rehabilitation Council For Torture Survivors “IRCT”

TRC

‫ﻣﺮﻛﺰ ﻋﻼﺝ ﻭﺗﺄﻫﻴﻞ ﺿﺤﺎﻳﺎ ﺍﻟﺘﻌﺬﻳﺐ‬ Swiss Agency For Development & Cooperation “SDC”

Norwegian Church Aid “NCA”

OAK

UN Voluntary Fund For Victims Of Torture “UNVFVT”

56