UN international day in support of victims of torture

A handbook raising awareness of the use of torture and the physical and psychological wounds it leaves is published today, to coincide with UN international day in support of victims of torture.

Aimed at health professionals, the publication aims to encourage the investigation and recording of state-sanctioned torture in the hope of preventing further abuse.

It advises on the most appropriate way of examining a person who has been tortured and looks at how effectively documenting injuries can help prosecute perpetrators, seek redress for survivors, and assist asylum seekers to substantiate their accounts of persecution.

Funded by the government, the book is published by the University of Essex’s human rights centre and was launched today by foreign office minister Ian McCartney. Charity the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture also took part in the project.

The handbook will be distributed world-wide via Britain’s embassies and consulates.