Torture

About: Torture is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8173 publications have been published within this topic receiving 109895 citations.

Somali and Oromo Refugees: Correlates of Torture and Trauma History

Abstract: Objectives. This cross-sectional, community-based, epidemiological study characterized Somali and Ethiopian (Oromo) refugees in Minnesota to determine torture prevalence and associated problems. Methods. A comprehensive questionnaire was developed, then administered by trained ethnic interviewers to a nonprobability sample of 1134. Measures assessed torture techniques; traumatic events; and social, physical, and psychological problems, including posttraumatic stress symptoms. Results. Torture prevalence ranged from 25% to 69% by ethnicity and gender, higher than usually reported. Unexpectedly, women were tortured as often as men. Torture survivors had more health problems, including posttraumatic stress. Conclusions. This study highlights the need to recognize torture in African refugees, especially women, identify indicators of posttraumatic stress in torture survivors, and provide additional resources to care for tortured refugees.

War and mental health: a brief overview

Abstract: This is the third of four articles Series editor: Anthony B Zwi (Anthony.Zwi@lshtm.ac.uk) About 40 violent conflicts are currently active and nearly 1% of the people in the world are refugees or displaced persons. Over 80% of all refugees are in developing countries, although 4 million have claimed asylum in western Europe in the past decade. Many wars are being played out on the terrain of subsistence economies; most conflict involves regimes at war with sectors of their own society—generally the poor and particular ethnic groups, such as the ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Atrocity—extrajudicial execution, torture, disappearances, and sexual violation—generates terror, which maximises control over whole populations, as does the intentional destruction of the fabric of social, economic, and cultural life. Community leaders, health workers and facilities, schools, academics, places of worship, and anyone who speaks out for human rights and justice are often targets. In many regions such war is a factor in the daily lives and decision making of a whole society. #### Summary points The reframing of normal distress as psychological disturbance is a serious distortion Personal recovery is grounded in social recovery Rights and social justice shape collective healing Researchers must attend to resilience factors and beware of extrapolating from clinic based samples There is no such thing as a universal response to highly stressful events. However, somatic presentations such as headaches, non-specific pains or discomfort in torso and limbs, dizziness, weakness, and fatigue are central to the subjective experience and communication of distress wrought by war and its upheavals worldwide. This does not mean that these people do not have psychological insights but that somatic complaints reflect traditional modes of help seeking and also their view of what is relevant to bring to a medical setting.1 Some researchers see somatic symptoms as physiological responses driven by …

Social Torture: The Case of Northern Uganda, 1986-2006

Abstract: Acknowledgements List of Tables, Charts & Diagrams List of Illustrations List of Acronyms Map Of 'Protected Villages' in which Fieldwork Was Conducted Chapter 1. Introduction The Mainstream Discourse of Today's Wars Building Blocks of a Counter-Narrative Impacts Actors Benefits and Functions Justifications Elaborating a Model of Social Torture Overview of the Book Chapter 2. The Research Process Institutional Setting Working in a 'War Zone' Conceptual Challenges Horizontal Segmentation or Vertical Linkages? Acknowledging Peoples' Agency Ethical Considerations Methods Adopted Composition of the Research Team In-Depth Key-Informant Interviews Audio-Visual Data Media Monitoring Research Integrated with Programming - The Use of Focus Groups Dealing with Findings Discussion and Conclusions Subjectivity and Objectivity Chapter 3. An Overview of the Situation in Northern Uganda Introduction The Build-Up to War Phase I (1986 to 1988) Phase II (1988 to 1994) Phase III (1994 to 1999) Phase IV - Amnesty for 'Terrorists' (2000 to 2002) Phase V - Operation Iron Fist and Its Aftermath (2002 to 2003) Phase VI - November 2003 to June 2006 Phase VII - June 2006 Onwards The War As People Remember It Discussion Some Concluding Questions Chapter 4. Reconsidering the LRA-Government Dynamic Introduction The LRA's Ambiguities Composition The Extent of Civilian Support Links with the Lord's Resistance Movement The Role of the Media in Creating Ambiguity The LRA's Modus Operandi Administration and Control Survival and Proxy Warfare LRA Motivations and Politics Politics of Rejection The 1994 Peace Talks Discussion Further Nuances and Characterisations - Local Context Refining the Characterisations - Comparative Experiences An Appraisal of the Government's Initiatives Conclusions Chapter 5. Protection As Violation Introduction Part I - Formation and Organisation Physical Layout and Shelter Administration Mchaka-Mchaka Part II - Subsistence in the Camps Access to Land Reductions in Hunting Other Alternatives to Agriculture Group Formation Food Aid Problems with Distribution Demonstration Sites Calls To Allow People To Return Home Block Farming Part III - Access to Education Universal Primary Education (UPE) Drop-Outs Teacher Motivation Secondary Schooling Part IV - Access to Health Care Part V - Access to Protection When Was the LRA the UPDF? People's Responses Discussion and Conclusions Chapter 6. Protection As Debilitation Introduction Physical Debilitation Psychological Debilitation Suicide Heavy Drinking Cultural Debilitation Burial and Funeral Rites Breakdown of Restorative Justice Dance and Song External Interventions, which 'Diluted' Culture Changing Military-Civilian Relationships Discussion Signs of Resilience? Conclusions Chapter 7. Protection As Humiliation Introduction The Hegemonic Model of Masculinity What Women Are (Supposed To Be) Like What Youth Are (Supposed To Be) Like What Men Are (Supposed To Be) Like Masculine Roles The Gap between Model and Reality: Inability To Fulfil External and Internalised Expectations Acquisition of Knowledge Marriage Provision Physical Protection Further Threats to Sense of Masculinity 'Gender' Discourse and Practice Militarization The Impact of the Emergence of a Hegemonic Model Domestic Violence Increased Male Vulnerability to Violence State Benefits from the Hegemonic Model Discussion Conclusions Chapter 8. Social Torture and the Continuation of War Introduction Impacts and Methods Further Symptoms of Torture Actors Humanitarian Missions and Mandate Failures in Assistance and Protection Benefits and Functions Economics Psychological Political Justifications for Action and Inaction Justifying Action Justifying Inaction Discussion Low Intensity but Wide Impact Geographically Extensive and Time-Indifferent Multiple Actors Multiple Functions Social Torture Acquires Its Own Momentum Social Torture Is Justified in Public Discourses, which then Become Instruments of Social Torture Conclusions Chapter 9. Conclusions Social Torture Offers a Counter-Narrative to the Mainstream Discourse Greed-Grievance Social Torture Goes beyond the Convention Against Torture Social Torture Suggests the Need for More Comprehensive Interventions Appendices Bibliography Index

International Human Rights Law and Practice in Latin America

Abstract: Human rights practices have improved significantly throughout Latin America during the 1990s, but different degrees of legalization are not the main explanation for these changes. We examine state compliance with three primary norms of international human rights law: the prohibition against torture, the prohibition against disappearance, and the right to democratic governance. Although these norms vary in their degree of obligation, precision, and delegation, states have improved their practices in all three issue-areas. The least amount of change has occurred in the most highly legalized issue-area—the prohibition against torture. We argue that a broad regional norm shift—a “norms cascade”—has led to increased regional and international consensus with respect to an interconnected bundle of human rights norms, including the three discussed in this article. These norms are reinforced by diverse legal and political enforcement mechanisms that help to implement and ensure compliance with them.

Diplomacy of Conscience: Amnesty International and Changing Human Rights Norms

Abstract: A small group founded Amnesty International in 1961 to translate human rights principles into action. "Diplomacy of Conscience" provides a rich account of how the organization pioneered a combination of popular pressure and expert knowledge to advance global human rights. To an extent unmatched by predecessors and copied by successors, Amnesty International has employed worldwide publicity campaigns based on fact-finding and moral pressure to urge governments to improve human rights practices. Less well known is Amnesty International's significant impact on international law. It has helped forge the international community's repertoire of official responses to the most severe human rights violations, supplementing moral concern with expertise and conceptual vision."Diplomacy of Conscience" traces Amnesty International's efforts to strengthen both popular human rights awareness and international law against torture, disappearances, and political killings. Drawing on primary interviews and archival research, Ann Marie Clark posits that Amnesty International's strenuously cultivated objectivity gave the group political independence and allowed it to be critical of all governments violating human rights. Its capacity to investigate abuses and interpret them according to international standards helped it foster consistency and coherence in new human rights law. Generalizing from this study, Clark builds a theory of the autonomous role of nongovernmental actors in the emergence of international norms pitting moral imperatives against state sovereignty. Her work is of substantial historical and theoretical relevance to those interested in how norms take shape in international society, as well as anyone studying the increasing visibility of nongovernmental organizations on the international scene.