The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims

The IRCT grew out of a need to respond to the pervasive use of torture around the world and help the hundreds of thousands of torture victims whose pain and suffering is the responsibility of the perpetrating States. The notion of torture victims’ right to construct or reconstruct their autonomy led to the development of a health-based approach to torture rehabilitation. Health professionals in different parts of the world embraced this approach, which resulted in the creation of medical groups and centres dedicated to the treatment of torture victims. One such place was Copenhagen, where in 1974 Inge Genefke and three fellow doctors responded to a call by Amnesty International to help diagnose torture victims and produce forensic evidence that could help hold torturers to account in a court of law. In 1980 Dr Genefke and her colleagues were given permission to admit torture victims to the University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, and in 1981, she became one of the founders of the Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (today, IRCT member centre Dignity). Around the same time other rehabilitation centres were being created across the world and soon there was the foundation of a global network. The IRCT was established in 1985 to articulate the voice and aspirations of this movement, and also support the foundation and financing of new centres. Since then we have grown to become an organisation of more than 160 member centres, in over 70 countries.

Go to the IRCT website.