UPDATED: At Human Rights Council the IRCT and WMA call for sustainable systems to document torture

On 9 March, the IRCT and WMA jointly hosted the side event Exploring Sustainable Systems to Document Torture – The Role of Health Professionals at the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council. Moderated by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Manfred Nowak, the event was attended by some 50 representatives from governments, NGOs, the academic community, UN agencies and health professional organisations.

A panel including Marija Definis-Gojanovic (read below her conclusions about the meeting) – a member of the UN Subcommittee for the Prevention of Torture – as well as representatives from Turkish and Danish medical associations, the academic community and the Association for the Prevention of Torture concluded among inter alia that:

 

• The number of forensic medical specialists worldwide to adequately cover the need of documenting incidences of torture is insufficient; it is crucial to ensure that more forensic expertise to document torture become available.

 

• Examination reports of high quality are needed from GPs; forensic specialists can take on the task to make conclusions and interpretation.

 

• It is of the utmost importance to also train non-forensic physicians in examining detainees and alleged victims of torture.

 

The panel also concluded that some basic steps can be taken by all countries in order to support the prevention of torture, particularly in detention. These steps include:

 

• Ensuring the confidentiality of forensic examinations

 

• Introducing systematic examination of detainees before and after transfer

 

• Developing independent mechanisms to report torture in a systematic way

 

Finally, the panel noted that is crucial that governmental and non-governmental stakeholders as well as legal, medical and other relevant experts need to work more closely together in strengthening independent investigation and monitoring systems.

 

Also at the 13th session of the Human Righs Council, the IRCT delivered the following intervention in collaboration with CINAT – the Coalition of International NGOs against Torture: CINAT proposed criteria for selection of candidates for mandate of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

 

Read below a text about the meeting by the panelist Marija Definis-Gojanovic. 
 

 

Significance of documentation of torture and the role of health staff 
 

Organised by the World Medical Association (WMA) and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), a panel discussion entitled "Examination of sustainable systems of documenting torture - the role of health professionals“ was held on 09 March 2010 in Geneva at the regular session of the UN Human Rights Council.

 

Chaired by UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Professor Manfred Novak, the discussion was attended by numerous representatives of governments, NGOs, the academic community, various UN offices and healthcare organisations.

 

I attended the meeting as a member of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. As one of the invited speakers I had the opportunity to present some of the key issues regarding the introduction of proper documentation of torture by state institutions. In doing so I focused on the application of the Istanbul Protocol, a manual containing internationally recognied standards and procedures for doctors and lawyers with regard to documenting and investigating cases of torture and ill-treatment.

 

After the panelists' presentations and subsequent discussions it was concluded that it is necessary to increase the level of education of health workers – especially those who in their daily practice meet victims of torture – and introduce mandatory training on the prevention of abuse in the curricula of medical schools. Central to this task is the World Federation for Medical Education (WFME), and national medical associations (this is supported by the example of Turkey, where some 4000 phycisians have been trained in the past few years on how to identification and properly documentat torture).

 

Further, it is necessary to develop a multidisciplinary approach to implementing the UN Convention against Torture, its Optional Protocol as well as the international standards contained in the Istanbul protocol and the medical-ethical guidelines of the WMA on the role of health professionals in the prevention of torture and other forms of abuse.

 

Finally, the discussions emphasised the need to involve health workers in the national preventive mechanisms, which State parties to the Optional Protocol to the UNCAT are required to establish. Among them is Croatia, which ratified the Optional Protocol in April 2005, thereby pledging to establish an independent national preventive mechanism and ensure its effectiveness.

 

The Special Rapporteur on Torture concluded the meeting stressing the importance of Istanbul Protocol and its principles in the context of the establishment of national preventive mechanisms and the struggle against all forms of abuse.

Professor Mary-Definis Gojanovic, MD.
Specialist in Forensic Medicine
Clinical Hospital Center and Medical School Split Split

 

 

For more information, please contact:

IRCT

Sune Segal, Head of Communications, +45 20 34 69 14, sse@irct.org

WMA

Clarisse Delorme, Advocacy Advisor, +33 4 50 407575 (office) or
Nigel Duncan, Public Relations Consultant, +44 (0) 20 8997 3653 (work), +44 (0) 7984 944 403 (mobile), nduncan@ndcommunications.co.uk