Trauma of torture victims should not be overlooked amid
migration challenges, UN experts remind States
Call marks UN International Day in Support of Victims of
Torture on 26 June
GENEVA (24 JUNE 2015) – Amid the upsurge in migration
around the world, it is vital that States ensure that people fleeing torture
are immediately identified to avoid exposing them to further trauma,
ill-treatment or being forcibly returned, UN human rights experts have stressed
in comments* to mark the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture
on 26 June.
“Torture is always an emergency and it is vital that
victims of torture, who may have suffered traumatic events in their country of
origin and during their journey, get immediate support and care to prevent, as
far as possible, irreversible physical and psychological harm,” said Adam
Bodnar, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the UN Fund for Victims of
Torture.
The UN experts said that migration authorities should
ensure that any measures they take do not further traumatise victims; there
should be alternatives to detention; reception centres should comply with
international human rights standards; and migrants and asylum seekers should be
individually assessed, including on their need for protection.
“Migrants need to be treated in accordance with accepted
international standards and protected from treatment which might be inhuman and
degrading,” said Malcolm Evans, Chairperson of the Subcommittee for the
Prevention of Torture. “We must protect vulnerable people, not victimise them,”
he added.
“People should be afforded the same standards of
protection against violations of the Convention against Torture, regardless of
how or when they arrived in a country,” said Claudio Grossman, Chairperson of
the Committee against Torture.
The experts also reminded States of the principle of
non-refoulement as set out in the Convention against Torture.
“The significance of non-refoulement is that it applies
to all, even people who may not qualify as refugees or asylum seekers. States
must separately assess the risk of torture and refrain from deporting anyone to
a place where he or she would be at risk of torture,” said UN Special
Rapporteur on Torture Juan E. Méndez.
ENDS
(*) The call was issued by the Committee against Torture,
the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture, the Special Rapporteur on Torture
and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment and the Board of
Trustees of the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.
For media requests and interviews:
UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture: Laura
Dolci-Kanaan (+41 (0) 22 917 9732 / ldolci-kanaan@ohchr.org)
Committee Against Torture. Patrice Gillibert (+41 (0) 22
917 9332/ pgillibert@ohchr.org)
Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture: Joao Nataf (+41
(0) 22 917 9102/ jnataf@ohchr.org/
Special Rapporteur on Torture: Sonia Cronin (+41 (0) 22
917 9160/ scronin@ohchr.org)
For other media inquiries, please contact Liz Throssell,
UN Human Rights Media Unit, (+41 (0) 22 917 9466/ ethrossell@ohchr.org)
More information:
Committee Against Torture:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CAT/Pages/CATIndex.aspx
Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/OPCAT/Pages/OPCATIndex.aspx
Special Rapporteur on Torture:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Torture/SRTorture/Pages/SRTortureIndex.aspx
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