Although prohibited under international law and condemned by a number of international conventions, torture is still a predominant and widespread occurrence in the world today.

Torture and ill-treatment continue to be practiced in over 100 countries, including countries that are parties to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

There are not precise figures about the number of victims of torture in the world, but the IRCT supports a global movement of almost 200 rehabilitation centres and programs for torture victims around the world that provide medical and psychosocial care to approximately 100,000 victims each year.

In countries with repressive regimes, torture has not only occurred but has also been prevalent and systematic because these regimes rely on torture in the constant oppression of their populations.

In recent years, the fight against terrorism has created an environment in which governments justify the use of torture even though its prohibition is absolute. Today there is an alarming trend for principles of international humanitarian and human rights law to be undermined in the name of the war against terrorism.

Even some countries with a long tradition of leading the fight against torture are authorising unlawful interrogation methods and recognising evidence obtained through torture by foreign agents as admissible. At present there is a debate on what constitutes appropriate interrogation techniques and the apparent 'acceptability' of the deliberate infliction of certain forms of ill-treatment and torture.

There is also the tendency of indirectly accepting torture by, for instance, expelling people to countries that adhere to torture prohibition less stringently or by permitting the use of testimonies retracted after torture, as long as it takes place outside ones own country.

Additionally, impunity for government officials and other agents of the state who order or condone torture and ill-treatment persist in many parts of the world.

International law

International law and treaties place a special responsibility on governments to stop torture from taking place.

The governments that are party to the UN Convention have committed themselves to preventing torture in their own country, and to providing for the needs of torture victims, including as full rehabilitation as possible.

For this reason the IRCT actively lobbies governments to ratify and implement the UN Convention, as part of our commitment to the eradication of torture worldwide.

Source: IRCT