International Donors: Secure Support for the Fight Against Torture
Today many of the 200+ international partners of our United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) face the sudden loss of vital international financial support for the fight against torture, from the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Germany, and other countries, amidst allegations of widespread torture and ill-treatment, and powerful States undermining human rights. In this concerning context, the UATC urges international donors to maintain their strong commitment to preventing torture and providing redress to victims.
At its core, supporting torture survivors is life-saving work. “If it wasn’t for CVT, I think I would be dead by now,” said one client of the Center for Victims of Torture (CVT), a UATC partner. Recent USAID funding cuts by the Trump administration have forced CVT to close virtually all its international programmes and furlough or terminate contracts with 75% of its staff.
UATC has documented the complete halt of rehabilitation services in four countries where its partners operate, including communities devastated by the war in Ethiopia, while a further 18 rehabilitation programmes are facing acute funding shortages, primarily due to the withdrawal of USAID funding.
Across Latin America, UATC partners form the backbone of civil society efforts to strengthen rule of law, and build more peaceful, equitable societies amid the historical legacy of military dictatorships and the so-called ‘War on Drugs’, which disproportionately impacted already marginalised communities. “The loss of USAID funding threatens essential programmes for marginalised and forgotten communities, including LGBTIQ+ persons deprived of their liberty, who are particularly vulnerable to torture and ill-treatment. Continued support is crucial to prevent further harm,” said Ari Vera of Corpora en Libertad, a UATC partner.
In Asia, UATC partners report being forced to end documentation of torture in some of the most repressive States, hindering efforts to hold perpetrators accountable. In Europe, US funding cuts have choked off a vital lifeline to civil society in Belarus just as the International Criminal Court is examining alleged crimes against humanity committed by the Belarusian authorities, while in Ukraine, staff who were documenting torture and other Russian war crimes are facing redundancy. These are huge and potentially irreparable losses.
Funding for the fight against torture represents a tiny fraction of international development assistance, but an outsize return on investment. Survivors have been subject to an international crime, and have an international human right to redress, including as full rehabilitation as possible. Where that fundamental right is violated, all other efforts to secure human rights are undermined. In this volatile global context, international funding to prevent torture occurring in the first place is no less essential.
About the Consortium: The United Against Torture Consortium pools the strengths and expertise of six leading anti-torture organisations (IRCT, OMCT, FIACAT, APT, Omega Research Foundation and REDRESS) in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations in more than 100 countries, to strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement. The European Union funds the project.
For more information, please contact:
- IRCT: Hugh Macleod at hml@irct.org
- OMCT: Francesca Pezzola at fpe@omct.org
