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Project Against Torture
vital support for victims of violence | |
The infamous Tuol Sleng prison, a torture and execution center of the Khmer Rouge, has long been closed, but torture continues in Cambodia today. The years of suffering under the Khmer Rouge and the abuses and trauma of the civil war years have left a mark on the country's psyche which manifests itself in many ways; one of which is the continued use of torture by the police and others in positions of authority.
This man with psychiatric problems was beaten by guards and civiliansThe majority of those tortured in Cambodia become victims in police custody. Police often rely on torture to extract confessions, rather than basing the arrest of suspected criminals on properly gathered evidence. In addition to obtaining confessions, torture is used by police to arbitrarily punish perceived wrongdoers, or to extort money from detainees for their release. Often, the victims have been wrongly accused or arbitrarily arrested without evidence.
Torture is also committed by other agents of the state, including the military and prison guards. It is often committed for non-political reasons, although there have been politically motivated cases, such as the torture of opposition party members.
Another common use of torture is in the control of women in the commercial sex trade, in which many women are kept by force. Pimps and traffickers subject women to various kinds of physical and psychological abuse to condition and control them, and especially to punish them for any attempts to escape. While government agents may not be the perpetrators in these cases, they are often complicit, through protection provided to traffickers and brothel owners.
The phenomenon of mob killings is also common in Cambodia, in which groups of people attack suspected thieves or criminals, usually resulting in serious injury or death. Some of these cases take place with the cooperation of the police. The phenomenon is fed by public anger at criminals and distrust of the corrupt police and court systems to deal with them.
The problem of torture in Cambodia is perpetuated not only by a legacy of violence, but by the legal system and the impunity in which those with power or money are rarely punished. Because perpetrators of torture are usually police or other influential people, convictions are rare. |
PAT's Response |
Representation of a PAT counselor providing services for a torture victim
Provinding mental health service referals and follow-up
The mental and physical scars left by torture can be devastating, and the services available in Cambodia are minimal. PAT tries to fill this gap with medical treatment and follow-up for the victims, and referrals for specialized treatment. PAT provides individual and family counseling, and offers other mental health services in cooperation with other practitioners in Cambodia. LICADHO also tries to help victims become economically self-sufficient once rehabilitated by referring victims for vocational training, and making small loans. In the case of children, PAT helps to re-integrate them into school.
PAT works with clients on an outpatient basis. Staff visits clients in their homes, addressing needs in the context of the family and community. Often family members do not understand the psychological problems the individual is experiencing, so education and information for the family is also provided.
PAT aims to eradicate torture in Cambodia
Bringing perpetrators to justice
In addition to rehabilitation services for victims, and with the goal of achieving justice and deterring future torture, PAT uses legal avenues to pursue perpetrators of torture. With the help of the Monitoring Office, victims are assisted to press charges against their torturers if they choose to. PAT also uses advocacy to influence reform at all levels of government and law enforcement. Unfortunately, convictions are rare because of Cambodia's weak legal system and the fact that perpetrators are usually powerful or protected.
Educating on the prevalence and impact of torture in society
PAT also produces public reports and education materials on torture in Cambodia, based on LICADHO's monitoring activities. These have included the landmark report, "Less Than Human: Torture in Cambodia", in 2000, and a Briefing Paper on Torture in Police Custody in 2003. Most recently, PAT produced "Living in the Shadows: Acid Attacks in Cambodia" (December 2003), to highlight the horrific use of acid as a weapon. |
Related Documents:Khmer version of certain documents can be found by browsing the Documents section |
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PAT helps a tortured domestic worker
In 1999, a young girl named Bophal1 was sent from her poor family in Battambang province to work in Phnom Penh. A neighbor had approached Bophal's mother, offering her daughter a job as a domestic worker in a private house. Her mother agreed, so Bophal went and was placed in the house of a woman named Sok Mean and her husband.
Bophal, aged 14, had no idea how much suffering she would experience in Cambodia's capital. During her six months as a domestic worker, she was tortured by her employer. Sok Mean beat and kicked her and smashed her head against the wall. Sok Mean stomped up and down on Bophal's body, and stabbed her repeatedly with a screwdriver. To prevent Bophal from protecting herself from the abuse, Sok Mean tied her hands together with wire.
At night Bophal was forced to sleep on the concrete floor with no mattress or blankets. She was locked inside the apartment like a prisoner. On one occasion she was left alone for three days while Sok Mean went to Battambang.
Neighbors contacted the police in January 2000 when they saw Sok Mean hitting Bophal with a hammer. A police officer took Bophal to the hospital. When police failed to take Sok Mean to the police station, the neighbors intervened and demanded she be taken into custody.
Another local NGO contacted LICADHO, whose staff visited Bophal in the hospital. They contacted her mother in Battambang.
In the meantime, Sok Mean's father began to pressure Bophal's mother not to make a complaint, and offered her money in compensation. Despite repeated pressure, she decided to press charges against Sok Mean for physical battery and illegal confinement. Neighbors and LICADHO also made complaints to support Bophal's mother.
Bophal spent a week in the hospital. PAT supported the family with rice and provided school fees so that Bophal and her two siblings could go to school. PAT counseled Bophal and her mother, and referred Bophal to another NGO for further counseling. LICADHO also secured a small private donation to help Bophal's mother to start a business.
LICADHO arranged for a lawyer to represent Bophal and her mother in court, and arranged for medical certificates of Bophal's injuries. In July 2000, Sok Mean was convicted and sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay about $125 in compensation. LICADHO continued to provide counseling and supported for Bophal and her siblings to go to school until mid-2002.
Without LICADHO's intervention, the victim could have faced fatal consequences, and the case would probably never have gone to court.
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