On June 26, the Bahjat Al Fouad Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (BFRCT) in Basrah held a seminar to raise awareness of the impact on victims and the society as a whole.

A staff member presents the work of the outreach team which provides services to victims of torture in nearby provinces. Photo by BFRCT

The Director of the BFRCT, Abdul Nasser Hussein, said: “We cannot afford to abandon victims of torture and violence in this society.”

He added: “As a community we must rise above the effect of emotional scars and move in the direction of rehabilitation and reintegration.”

The BFRCT is one of two Iraqi rehabilitation centres supported by a European Union project called the 'Programme for the Protection of Detainees and Torture Victims', which is implemented by UNOPS.

Since 2008, over 4,000 victims of torture and violence have approached the two centres for professional attention to help them overcome traumatic experiences.

Medical experts treat injuries with physical therapy and medications, and psychotherapists organize counselling sessions aimed at addressing suppressed traumatic memories. The centre also functions as a support system, boosting victims’ confidence levels and improving their marketable skills through vocational training.

The counseling sessions do not end with the victims, but are also extended to their family members. Relatives of torture victims often suffer from secondary trauma and are sometimes exposed to domestic abuse and violence as a result of the long-lasting effect of trauma on the victims.“The act of torture cannot be reversed, but we can still prevent the after-effects of torture which can be detrimental to family members who are also considered victims of such unjust practices,” Mr. Hussein explained.

A BFRCT medical consultant speaks to local media on the occasion of the International Day in Support of Torture Victims. Photo by BFRCT

The EU project enables the provision of these services through financial support to the centres, which covers rent, medication and equipment for physical therapy, amongst other things. The project also provides staff at the centre with continuous advanced training in treatment methods as well as management skills and fundraising, to help the centres sustain their activities beyond the duration of the current support.

As occurrences of ill-treatment and abuse continue to be reported from across Iraq, the EU-UNOPS project assists a limited number of people, but for the patients that receive help, the services are invaluable.

“Honestly I feel that the centre has changed the path of my life,” says a beneficiary who has been attending the centre’s psychotherapeutic sessions for 14 months. “Now I feel that my worries and sorrow are starting to fade away.”