How do you identify a torture survivor? How should healthcare professionals approach one? What are the benefits of documenting the physical and mental damages? At the beginning of November, a 2-day course targeting healthcare professionals and based on the Istanbul Protocol, the international guideline for identification and documentation of torture, will be conducted in Tel Aviv.
The Israel Medical Association recognizes the protocol, and the Public Committee against Torture in Israel (PCATI) is organizing the training program in association with the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey (HRFT).
PCATI has written that the “training of medical staff, who encounter difficult cases every day and must diagnose patients’ medical and mental condition, are immensely important. Reports by medical staff can determine the later course of a legal procedure which decides whether a person was a victim of violence by the security authorities and whether he or she is entitled to assistance and recognition.”
The Istanbul Protocol, which is the basis of the training, is recognized by the UN as the mechanism for identifying and documenting torture and is used in many countries in the world. “Up to now, we have trained tens of doctors and mental health professionals to identify and document signs of torture and abuse according to the Protocol’s guidelines, and we will continue to do so in the south, north, and all across the country.” The upcoming training will take place in two sessions on November 2-3, 2018 in Tel Aviv-Jaffa. The number of participants is limited.
