Ben Wagner
Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture (PSOT)
New York, USA
On Tuesday, June 26, I along with several colleagues from PSOT honored the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture at an event organized by Argentina, Mongolia, Denmark, the Delegation of the European Union, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights at the United Nations. Program Director Dr. Allen Keller and Chief Psychiatrist Dr. Asher Aladjem spoke on an expert-led panel about strategies for the prevention of torture and the rehabilitation of torture victims, moderated by Amnesty International’s Julia Hall, an expert on counter-terrorism, criminal justice, and human rights.
Since 1997, when the UN General Assembly first proclaimed the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, this day has marked an important opportunity to call on all stakeholders to unite in support of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world who have been or are current victims of torture. However, despite the prohibition of torture being described in absolute terms and widely recognized as a human rights violation, we continue to witness it each and every day across the world. We see it walk through our program doors every day.
As we continue to witness the human devastation of such actions nearly 70 years since the UDHR, is there hope for the future? Will the view of UN Resolution 52/149 ever be met?
On this particular Tuesday, June 26, 2018, one survivor was able to tell us, “Yes there is hope.”
Just six years ago, one survivor of torture fleeing persecution from the Democratic Republic of Congo arrived in the United States with no interest in living. Anyone he met was a threat and not to be trusted. His fears led him to believe everyone was a spy with connections to his torturers. Even thousands of miles away, nowhere was safe. Six years ago, there was no peace to be found from sleep. Horrible memories played repeatedly in his mind to the point where he thought his only option was to end it all.
It was the support from this community that changed his life: this survivor found the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture. After just six years of medical care, mental health care, group therapy, and legal services, he is now a permanent resident of the United States and is pursuing a college degree in nursing so he can help others as well. And all with optimism, trust, and a positive outlook on life and the future.
You could feel the atmosphere in the room change as this survivor of torture shared his truth. As he spoke, an electrifying wave of empathy and relief lifted fellow members of the audience, inspiring them to work towards a future defined by hope. This one man, formerly of the Democratic Republic of Congo, testified that he not only survived but thrived, thanks to human rights supporters and organizations like PSOT. The obligation, now, is to learn from the success of this survivor and to reach the countless others still trapped by their fears and yearning to be truly free.