Benjamin Gilman: “However, it is not enough to merely denounce torture without assisting the victims in their recovery from the physical…”

“However, it is not enough to merely denounce torture without assisting the victims in their recovery from the physical and psychological effects that they suffer. People suffering from the effects of torture suffer from severe impediments, often requiring lengthy medical and psychological treatments. Torture victims are often ashamed or too traumatized to speak out against the practice, both in their countries of origin and abroad. Because torture victims sometimes cannot speak for or help themselves, Americans want their government to speak for those victims, to provide assistance to stop human rights abuses, to investigate allegations of torture, and also to provide rehabilitation services for the victims of torture through the Torture Victims Protection Act. They also want us to press for universal protection against torture through the enforcement of the rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention Against Torture, and the UN Charter.”