Medical Assistance


Torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, as defined by international human rights law, leads to a lasting impact of trauma on the victims. This is because of physical ailments and disabilities (temporary or permanent), personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, loss of dignity and fear and alienation from society. We organize monthly medical camps in North 24 Parganas, Murshidabad and Cooch Behar to offer medical and psychological assistance to survivors of torture and the families of those who have been victims of extrajudicial executions. In 2021, this is being done in collaboration with the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT). The camps are followed by a session on community-dialogue for the victims of torture and extrajudicial executions in which they share their experiences of trauma, struggle and recovery. These sessions are helpful for the victims to re-establish their space in society. Through medical camps and community dialogue, we aim to make unheard victims' voices reach a wider audience. The medical practitioners in the camps are trained to follow the Tokyo Convention of World Medical Association and Istanbul Protocol and treat the torture survivors without any prejudices. Further, they are directed to effectively document the injuries sustained by the victims of torture and the cause of these injuries such that the medical documents can act as evidence of torture in prosecution cases.