Workshop to address issues faced by torture victims

Torture raises profound and unprecedented questions of justice for the human race. Now, a broad range of experts have come together to examine and incorporate best practices to address the problem of torture.

The Workshop on Comprehensive Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors, a two-day conference held at the Amaya Lake Hotel in Dambulla recently, is the latest and one of the strongest indicators that civil society in Sri Lanka is ready to grapple with issues in responding to the incidence of torture.

About 24 delegates from around the island representing academia, the Government, the civil coordination unit of the army and the national health service attended.

Some of the experts at the workshop included Prof. Ravindra Fernando, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the University of Colombo; Priyantha Gamage and Sharmaine Gunaratne - leading human rights lawyers; and Dr. Sivadas who is the Senior Registrar in Psychiatry at the Mental Hospital in Angoda.

The workshop was organised by survivors Associated through a partnership with the Society for Social Research, Art and Culture (SOSRAC) in New Delhi. Financial support was provided by the European Union. A document summarising the workshop findings will be prepared and distributed within the next few weeks.

The Survivors Associated established in 1996 to conduct psychosocial activities at the grass-root level in conflict-affected areas provides, psychosocial support and economic empowerment services for those affected by war and torture.