JOINT DECLARATION FOR THE UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL DAY IN SUPPORT OF VICTIMS OF TORTURE

25 June 2001




The following joint declaration was issued today on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, which is commemorated on 26 June:


“The Committee against Torture, the Board of Trustees of the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture “the Fund”, the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the question of torture and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,

Recalling the decision of the General Assembly in its resolution 52/149 of 12 December 1997, to declare 26 June the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture,

Recalling also that the General Assembly, recognizing the need to provide assistance to the victims of torture in a purely humanitarian spirit, established the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture to receive voluntary contributions for distribution to victims of torture and their relatives and appealed to all Governments to contribute to the Fund,

Observing that the requests to the Fund for remedy and assistance to victims of torture and their families are ever increasing,

Regretting that torture, an international crime, is still practised by Governments and by other entities exercising effective power,

Reaffirming with dismay that, as affirmed by the Secretary-General, torture is one of the vilest acts to be perpetrated by human beings upon each other,

Exhorting all Governments to eradicate torture and bring to justice torturers everywhere and reminding everyone that ending torture marks a beginning of true respect for the most basic of all human rights: the intrinsic dignity and value of each individual,

Conscious of the need to emphasize the prevention of torture, as recommended by the World Conference on Human Rights in 1993,

Recognizing that racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance create conditions conducive to torture and have been used to justify torture throughout history,

Noting that the World Conference scheduled to convene in Durban, South Africa, in September 2001 will examine racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance,

Stressing that article one of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel or Degrading Treatment or Punishment includes under the definition of torture any act by which severe pain or suffering is inflicted for any reason based on discrimination of any kind,

Recalling that the Special Rapporteur on the question of torture has noted that ethnic differences may contribute to the process of dehumanization of the victim, which is often a necessary condition for torture and ill-treatment to take place,

Emphasizing that the Committee against Torture has observed, with regret, that discrimination of any kind can create a climate in which torture or ill-treatment of “other” groups can more easily be accepted and that discrimination undercuts the realization of equality of all persons before the law,

Acknowledging and commending the valuable and ongoing work of many Governments, associations, non-governmental groups and individuals in combating all forms of torture,

Paying tribute to those, particularly in non-governmental organizations, who work selflessly to relieve the suffering and assist the recovery of torture victims worldwide, and seek redress for them,

1. Strongly appeal on 26 June 2001, on the occasion of the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture:

(a) To all Governments and other entities exercising effective power:

(i) To call an immediate halt to the practice of torture;

(ii) To sanction as soon as possible all persons who have ordered, acquiesced in or practised torture;

(iii) To take all appropriate measures necessary for the prevention of torture within the territory under their jurisdiction or control;

(b) To all Governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and individuals:

(i) To provide as much support as possible to the victims of torture and their families;

(ii) To cooperate, in order to prevent torture, for the establishment of an international mechanism of visits to places of detention by adopting as soon as possible an optional protocol to the Convention against Torture;

2. Assure all donors to the Fund:

(i) That their contributions are duly and equitably distributed to organizations in the five continents and effectively utilized to provide medical, psychological, social, economic, legal, humanitarian and other forms of assistance to the victims of torture and their families;

(ii) That their contributions are highly appreciated not only by the victims of torture and their families themselves but also by human rights defenders and organizations;

3. Strongly appeal to all donors to the Fund to continue and, if possible, increase their generous contributions to the Fund, preferably on an annual basis;

4. Urge the universal ratification, by the year 2005, of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Optional Protocols and of the Convention against Torture, including acceptance of the procedures provided for in articles 21 and 22;

5. Appeal to all States to keep constantly in mind that the eradication of torture requires not only ratification of the above treaties, but also their effective implementation;

6. Encourage renewed educational efforts to prevent torture, including those addressing eradication of torture based upon discrimination of any kind;

7. Call upon all Governments and individuals to assess the way in which courts, ombudspersons, national human rights commissions or related bodies address the element of discrimination when examining allegations of torture or ill-treatment, in order to improve the effectiveness of these mechanisms in enabling individuals to raise concerns about any such allegations based on discrimination or unequal access to justice;

8. Recall that an essential element in eradicating racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance is overcoming impunity and bringing to justice those responsible for acts of torture or ill-treatment, whether committed against a single individual or segments of the population;

9. Urge all States to provide in their domestic law for fair and adequate reparation, including compensation and rehabilitation of the victims of torture;

10. Urge all participants at the World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance in Durban to work together against torture, paying due attention to the relationship between discrimination and the practice of torture, and the need to eradicate any such practice as a vital part of the effort to provide remedies to the victims of torture;

11. Call upon the United Nations Secretariat to transmit this Joint Declaration to all Governments and give it the widest possible distribution;

12. Appeal to the communications media:

(a) To give as wide publicity as possible to this Joint Declaration on 26 June 2001;

(b) To enlighten both Governments and peoples about the current situation concerning torture by reporting consistently on that subject”.



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