Camapign against Torture

Testimonial therapy originally was developed in Chile during the military dictatorship in 1970s. It has been successfully for the psychotherapeutic treatment for the women’s refugee who are survivor of sexual torture, and has also been a therapeutic tool employed within social frame of active human rights movement. Most recently principles of cognitive behavioral exposure therapy and testimony therapy have been combined in narrative exposure therapy for treatment of traumatized survivor of war and torture. Later in 2008 Testimonial therapy was introduced in India in pilot project of three month and Manual for community worker and human rights defender “Giving Voice” Using Testimony as a Brief Therapy Intervention in Psychosocial Community Work for Survivors of Torture and organized Violence was revised and finalize in October, 2008 by Dr. Inger Agger from Rehabilitation and Research Center for Torture Victim (RCT) and Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR).

Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victim (RCT) in collaboration with the Transcultural psychiatry, psychiatry centre Copenhagen University. Hospital/Rigshospitalet supported by the Danish Medical Research Council organized International Rehabilitation Conference on 3rd December, 08 to 5th December, 08 in Denmark.

So, on the first day of workshop Dr. Inger Agger PhD, Peter Polatin, M.D, MPH and Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi, B.A.M.S presents Outcome Studies in TOV survivor in Testimonial Therapy: a brief intervention to improve wellbeing in Victim of torture.

Testimonial therapy provided through trained community worker and human rights activists, helps victim of torture to tell their stories, and to receive psychotherapeutic and community support. Justice is the entry point in the testimonial method.

It is hypothesized that public testimony about human rights violation within the context of testimonial therapy serves as: 1.) a cathartic and positive reframing experience for the survivors, 2.) desensitization and alternative learning from volitionally re-experiencing the trauma, and or 3.) gratification and empowerment by active contribution to obtaining justice and preventing torture in future.

While some mental health workers believe the process of taking about traumatic experiences alone can be helpful, the focus of testimonial therapy is on collaboration and documentation, with the intention to use the testimonial to educate an uninformed public and to advocate for justice. Human rights activists who normally work with testimonies as legal documentation are trained to add a psychological dimension to an activity with which they are already familiar. Therefore, Testimonial therapy offers advantage when mental health skills are in short supply and in communities suffering under extreme and frequent human rights violations.

A collaborative three month pilot project was undertaken between RCT and People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) in Varanasi, India on “Testimony as a brief therapy intervention”. The project involves four weeks of training of PVCHR staff by a consultant who is expert in testimonial therapy, the development of context specific training manual, and the use of a monitoring and evaluation system for the purpose of outcome and evaluation comparing results of measures before the intervention and 2-3 month thereafter. Twelve community workers were trained to work in pair and to utilize testimonial therapy. Twenty three victims underwent treatment, under supervision. Most clients received 2 or 3 treatment sessions. Outcome measures issued were the WHO5, the pain analog, and a derived questionnaire utilizing ICF activity and participation categories.

The therapist allowed the survivors as much control over the story telling as possible, including the pace of the narrative and the amount of information shared. A transcript was created, and the testifier had a final say in its exact wording and eventual distribution. The therapist utilized the mindfulness and or other culturally appropriates meditative relaxation method to ensure that the testimonial process was not overwhelmingly distressing. A public delivery session was introduced, in which the survivor was honored after therapy (with consent), and the testimony read out and given to the survivor in a community ceremony.

The individuals who participated in this pilot study were mostly primary victims of torture. The perpetrators were almost always the police. Prior to participation in testimonial therapy, most of the participants were having difficulties functioning under stress. Many were able to work and support themselves with mind to moderate difficulty, but all had been doing better before they were tortured and had much more difficulty with income generating activities immediately after being tortured. Quite few had residual pain and, a low sense of well being. Many of them had three or more residual psychological symptom subsequent to the torture event. Many did not understand the issue of basic human rights or could not appropriately answer questions about issues related to politics and human rights. Most of them receive very low levels of health care after they had been tortured, although many of them had fairly extensive physical injuries. All had seen an attorney, reflection of the fact that they were involved with PVCHR.

After testimonial therapy all subjects demonstrated significant improvements in overall WHO 5 score. Four out of five individual item improved by atleast 40 %. ICF item showed less significant change, possibly because the question had not been well understood, but did never improve nevertheless.

The community ceremony component which was introduced into the project was observed to be quite dramatic in promoting improved subject demeanor. This would suggest a fourth hypothesis to explain the benefit of testimonial therapy: destigmatization and reintegration of the survivor into his family and community.

Testimonial Therapy as it has been developed in this project is both an individual and community based model, best adapted to a situation where work with the trauma has been delayed. The usual format is brief (3-4 sessions). In this very small pilot study, brief testimonial therapy appears to improve the well being of the subject who have completed treatment. However, a more extensive study is needed to verify these results, and better measures of ICF A & P function should be used.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Police torture of a doctor and lawyer in Varanasi,India

Please see video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNiivWoO-v8

PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTERS TO:
1. Honorable T. V. Rajeswar
Governor of Uttar Pradesh
Raj Bhavan, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 222 3892
E-mail: hgovup@up.nic.in
2. Mr. Justice Hemant Laxman Gokhale
Chief Justice Allahabad High Court
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: rg@allahabadhighcourt.in
3. Ms. Mayawati
Chief Minister
Chief Minister's Secretariat
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 223 0002 / 223 9234
E-mail: csup@up.nic.in
4. Secretary to the Government
Uttar Pradesh State Government
5th Floor – Lal Bahadur Sastri Bhavan
Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
5. Inspector General of Police
Varanasi Zone
Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: igzonevns@up.nic.in
6. Mr. Vikram Singh
Director General of Police
1-Tilak Marg, Lucknow
Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
Fax: + 91 522 2206120, 2206174
E-mail: police@up.nic.in
7. Mr. Vijay Prakash
Senior Superintendent of Police
Varanasi, SSP Office, Kachahari, Uttar Pradesh
INDIA
E-mail: sspvns@up.nic.in
8.National Human Rights Commission,
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi, PIN 110001 Tel.No. 23384012
Fax No. 23384863
E-Mail: covdnhrc@nic.in, ionhrc@nic.in
Thank you.
PVCHR

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: PVCHR
Date: Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Subject: Petition:Police torture of a doctor and lawyer in Varanasi,India
To: PVCHR

Sir/Madam,
Greetings from PVCHR.
Please see the linkage this is beating by police of Police Station Cantt, Varanasi of India.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNiivWoO-v8
http://sapf.blogspot.com/2008/11/police-torture-of-doctor-and-lawyer-in.html
Dr. Amar Deep Gupta is permanent resident in S 11/24 in Chowkaghat under jurisdiction Jaitpura in Varanasi district. Dr. Amar Deep is living with his joint family in his forefather house he is running "Deep clinics" in one part of the house S 11/23 in chowkaghat since long time.

On 28th December, 2007 anti encroachment expedition came in after noon with out giving prior information start demolished the medical clinic of Dr. Amar Deep in which medicine and surgical instrument of lakhs Rupees were buried in the ground.

On 29th December, 2007 before demolishing Dr. Amar Deep Gupta and his younger brother advocate Ratan Deep Gupta show all original supportive document which prove the property of Dr. Amar Deep Gupta family.

When Dr. Amar Deep was showing paper to Circul Officer Chetganj Mr. Ashok Kumar Verma then some anti element throw stone and C.O gets injury on his face in reactionary work Station officer, C.O, city magistrate and other policeman present at that time brutally beat Dr. Amar deep Gupta and Ratan Deep Gupta with stick and but of the gun until both of them faint. Policeman arrest both Dr. Amar Deep and Ratan Gupta.

After of the incidence wife of Dr. Amar Deep (Ms. Mamta) and Ratan Deep Gupta (Ms. Shikha) went to Jaitpura police station to know about her husband. Station in charge Hari Ram Maurya and other police officer start abusing with ugly word to both Mamta and Shikha. Police officer threat and start swinging stick to both women. From print media personnel both women came to know their husband is kept in Jaitpura police station.

Both women in police station saw Dr. Amar Deep Gupta was faint and Ratan Deep Gupta right leg broke and he was drenched with blood. Approximately at 1:30 pm Ratan Deep Gupta condition become critical due to bleeding and he was admitted to District hospital in Varanasi in police custody. Amar Deep Gupta also becomes serious and he was also admitted to District hospital at 9 pm in the night. On 29th December, 2007 this news was aired on the television.

Section that was filed by police officer against Dr. Amar Deep and Ratan Deep Gupta are 147/325/332/333/352/353/504/506 of Indian Penal code and cr. L A .A.

Both are suffering with psychologial problems.
Please take immediate action on it.

with warm regards,
Lenin

--
Dr. Lenin (Ashoka Fellow and 2007 Gwanju Human Rights Awardee)
Mobile:+91-9935599333
Please visit:
http://www.universalrights.net/heroes/display.php3?id=101
www.pvchr.org
www.youtube.com/pvchrindia
www.pvchr.blogspot.com
www.sapf.blogspot.com
www.antiwto.blogspot.com
www.rtfcup.blogspot.com
www.dalitwomen.blogspot.com
www.lenin-shruti.blogspot.com
http://www.orkut.com/Community.aspx?cmm=51624734
My final words of advice to you are educate, agitate and organize; have faith in yourself. With justice on our side I do not see how we can loose our battle.. The battle to me is a matter of joy. The battle is in the fullest sense spiritual. There is nothing material or social in it. For ours is a battle not for wealth or for power. It is battle for freedom. It is the battle of reclamation of human personality….
Dr. B.R.Ambedkar

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Using testmonial therapy : debate among professionals in Varanasi

We have increase in war, bombing, increase in terrorist attacks, increase in genocide, torture and domestic violence. Violence at very grass root level increase. Women and child are tortures and we have seems what happening to the Human Race where is our peace. Peace of Gandhi is hidden and where is the peace which says. We see breakage in Human Values in code conduct.

The Question is how to bring back again bring a person to the normal level of thinking acting and feeling and how to rehabilitate, how to restore confidence in them in minimum expenditure and in a brief supportive ways. How to reach a common person who is most neglected tortured person of the society. How to give relief him of his trauma and how to tackle what is happening inside them. So, Dr. Inger Agger all ways from Denmark come to give her hopes to give us new method a new technique she work with a torture survivor and with the survivors of war which we cannot imagine

With this stimulating words Round Table discussion on “Using Testimony as a psychotherapeutic tool” starts on 25th September, 2008 in Diamond Hotel, Varanasi with the joint endeavor three organizations - Deva International School for Child Care (DISCC), People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR), Varanasi and Rehabilitation and Research Council for Torture Victim (RCT), Denmark.

The main motive behind this discussion was to know the feedback from the psychologist and psychiatry nearby Varanasi district on using Testimonial as a psychotherapeutic tool in India.

Ms. Shruti Nagvanshi Trustee of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) hearty welcome participation in this round table discussion on behalf of above three organizations and she deliver her best wishes for the success of this discussion. She also briefly presents the Curriculum Vitae of Dr. Inger Agger. Program was moderated by Dr. Tulsi. The discussion starts with the traditional Indian spiritual style by lighting candle.

The discussion was chaired by Chief Guest Prof. K.C Gurnani M.D (Psychiatry) Head, Department of Psychiatry, S.N College Agra, Guest of honor Dr. Inger Agger consultant Rehabilitation and Research centre for the Torture Victim (RCT), Denmark, Dr. Sanjay Gupta HOD, Department of Psychiatry Institute of Medical Science, Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U), Dr. Tulsi President Deva International School for Child Care (DISCC), Varanasi and Dr. R.G Saxena Retired psychiatry Ranchi mental jail and Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi Director of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR).

Prof. K.C Gurnani, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Dr. R.G Sharma blessed discussion with their best wishes. Other 41 renowned psychologist, psychiatry, Counselors and Human Rights defender from Uttar Pradesh marked their valuable presence in this discussion.

Dr. Inger Agger Consultant of RCT presents testimonial method as a healing process and advocacy through power point presentation. She elucidates on Testimony therapy, history of Testimonial method, RCT goal, Develop new knowledge, Testimony as a Brief Therapy Intervention” Beneficiaries of Testimony Method, Procedure of Testimony method varies in different contexts, Testimony procedure developed in UP 2008 Elements of Testimony Method in UP: 4 Sessions With justice as the entry point. Healing elements of Testimony Method Client barriers, PVCHR Community and Human Rights Work, Community healing rituals Involving the body, Further Perspectives and Challenges, Objectives of RCT Project.

Dr. Lenin Director of PVCHR presents the postive result after using Testimony Method in the work of his organization. Dr. Tulsi president of Deva International School for Child Care (DISCC) briefly presents the words of Dr. Inger Agger and Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi and gave few strong point for stimulating this discussion. He says that violence, torture and terrorism have become global psycho- social and economic problems.

Floor was open for the discussion and the question arises in this round table discussion was entertained by Dr. Inger Agger and Dr. Lenin Raghvanshi. Few fact suggestions were tinted by the Psychologist and psychiatry and they saw main challenges in grass root movement which is based on psychiatry. There may be around 3,000 adequately qualified psychiatrists and 1000 clinical psychologist in the entire country of more than a billion populations. In U.P itselves there may only be less than 100 psychiatrists and 100 psychologists. The ratio of doctors is very less

Dr. Lenin presents memento to the renowned people chairing the desk and he gave thanks to the participants for making this discussion successful with their valuable comments and suggestion.
Dr. Tulsi culminates this program by giving vote of thanks and state Lets join hands together and make a better world for future race. He especially thanks to Dr. Inger Agger

 For bringing testimony therapy as therapeutic intervention for cases of psychological trauma.

 Interesting part of this therapy is that it has both Western element of Anger Management, Classical Conditioning and Eastern approach of relaxation methods and Meditation.

 It’s a cost effective model of psychotherapy which don’t require clinics or hospitals but, directly one can do this intervention at the doorsteps of the victim. For ex. His house, community, in a forest etc.

 The economic cost of the whole approach seems to be very less than regular psychotherapy session in a clinic or hospital.

Monday, November 03, 2008

Breaking myth, impunity and silence

http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=12085#

Breaking myth, impunity and silence
Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi 2/11/2008 11:40:09 PM(IST)

People’s Watch in league with the Friedrich Naumann Stifung, began the National Project on Preventing Torture in India (NPPT) in January, 2006 with a grant from the European Union under the EIDHR. This project is operationalizing in 47 districts of nine states of India namely Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Karnataka, Andra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Primary aim of the action is to initiate and to focus on torture focuses on torture practices routinely employed by Police. In this project we are mainly focusing especially upon safeguarding groups on the margins of Indian society, such as dalits, tribal groups, minorities, women and children.

The goal of this project is

Protecting potential victim of torture, particularly those belonging to vulnerable and marginalized communities.
Highlight individual cases of torture as they occurs
improving institutional responses to instances of torture by demanding state accountability
Advancing an ethics of responsibility and restraint among the law enforcement officers.
Educating and enlisting professional groups such as lawyers, social activist, doctors, psychiatrists, journalists and teachers in the campaign to prevent and eliminate torture
Raising public awareness of torture as an unlawful and wide spread abuse of police power
Promoting favourable policy outcomes in the form of new anti – torture legislation and commitment to existing international treaties.

The overall goal of this project is the prevention and reduction of torture in India, where police abuses remain an entrenched and often routine law enforcement strategy despite India’s status as the world’s largest democracy.

Project design reflects priorities set up by the European Commission’s EIDHR call for proposals- specifically, research on torture practice, and research on torture practices, legal supports for victims, awareness raising and legislative lobbying.

The project deal with frequent police practices like assault and physical abuse, custodial death, custodial rape, threat and psychological humiliation and deprivation of water, food, sleep and medical attention.

In the duration of two 2006- 2007, the project undertook 4425 fact- findings through district by district torture monitoring, providing the basis for 4215 targeted legal interventions performed by staff lawyers in each states.

In 2006 – 2007 the project conducted 171 state awareness conferences targeting a total of 15,568 participants from various professions implicated in the elimination of torture including lawyers, social activist, psychiatry, journalist and teachers.

Ultimately, one of the most enduring effects of the project was model that its sets for addressing issues of torture nationality. Recognizing that there are insufficient resources to stanch the practice of torture nationally, a key aspect of this approach is the “model taluk” in which monitoring and campaigning efforts will be intensely focused in one “taluk” (an administrative sub division of a district) in each states, with the goal of working towards the elimination of torture practices entirely. This model will create a paradigm for the prevention and elimination of torture on a much larger scale.

With the slogan “BREAKING MYTH, IMPUNITY AND SILENCE” People’s Tribunal on Torture was organized in respective nine states. Finally in the month of September National Tribunal on torture was organized in New Delhi with the selected cases from these nine states.

Lots of Human Rights tortured victim from survivor became bare foot worker and they are guiding others for the legal advocacy of their cases. The outcome research through the data collect through fact – finding clearly state that torture is a serious problem and to generate conviction of torture practices within a wider culture of rights, to improve enforcement of and adherence to existing constitutional guarantees, and to lobby for the UNCAT ratification and the stricter domestic laws in India’s parliament and individual state legislative assemblies.

With the ratification of UNCAT and domestic law we should also campaign and make pressure on policy maker to authorize and validate psychological mapping of the police torture victim as equal to medico – legal report. As lots of torture victim are suffering from psychological problems – Nightmares, Memories, Fear of going out, Self isolation, Panic attacks, Anxiety, Depression, Suicidal thoughts and Sleeping disorder.

One state used “Testimonial Therapy” with the support of a Danish based organization known as Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victim (RCT) under the guidance of psychologist Dr. Inger Agger. The cases for the Testimonial Therapy were selected from those 73 cases which were heeded in the people’s Tribunal. Now this Therapy is being used in different country like Sri Lanka etc.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

PVCHR is member of INPsySR

http://www.friedenspsychologie.de/inpsysr/?menu=organisations

http://www.friedenspsychologie.de/inpsysr/?left=members