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NO TORTURE!
The
World Organisation
Against Torture (Organisation Mondiale Contre la Torture, OMCT) is
the world’s largest coalition of non-governmental organizations fighting
against arbitrary detention, torture, summary and extrajudicial
executions, forced disappearances and other forms of violence. The
global network consists of almost 300 local, national and regional
organizations, all of which share a common goal of eradicating torture
and fostering respect of human rights for all.
The OMCT's Prevention of Torture program reinforces the prevention and
reporting of torture by strengthening the capacity of members through
the SOS-Torture network to use United Nations human rights mechanisms.
The program submits alternative reports to UN Committees in
collaboration with local NGOs, provides support for individuals and
organizations wishing to challenge torture practices in international
legal fora and publishes a practical guide on international and regional
conventional mechanisms relevant to torture. OMCT is also mainstreaming
women’s and children’s issues into the UN human rights mechanisms.
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OMCT contributes to UN activities
through three main activities:
* The submission of alternative reports to the UN Committee Against
Torture (CAT) and the Human Rights Committee (HRC) in collaboration with
local NGOs. Reporting activities are designed to encourage national NGOs
to report torture and follow-up on reports of torture through:
o the participation of local NGOs in the drafting of alternative reports
and their active inclusion in the relevant Committees’ sessions, with
the possibility of a follow-up meeting in the field;
o an integrated approach to the questions relating to the protection
from torture and other ill-treatment of women and children, by involving
organizations specialized in these issues in the drafting of alternative
reports and in the sessions of the Committees;
o greater dissemination of reports and of the Conclusions and
Recommendations of the Committees in English and in the preferred
language of the relevant country, through the publication of the reports
that have been submitted.
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Catholic clerics presiding over the torture of
a man suspected to be a heretic
before his subsequent execution during the Spanish Inquisition.
Circa 1700 AD.
According to Herrera Puga the authorities:
"placed no limits on the means; in this way they used the rack,
the lash, fire, etc.
In some cases... they applied padlocked irons to the flesh which
even led to the amputation of a hand..." |
* Support for individuals and
organizations wishing to challenge torture practices in international
legal forums. Complaint mechanisms can be used to achieve a number of
different objectives including: protection for victims or persons under
threat; obtaining reparations and compensation for victims; putting
pressure on governments to end impunity in specific cases; and achieving
changes in legislation and State practice which lead to serious human
rights violations. Many NGOs are not fully aware of how the UN
procedures can be used in support of their work in protecting victims
from torture. OMCT hopes to encourage and assist partner NGOs that are
already active in the struggle against torture to present individual
complaints and other relevant information to the CAT, the HRC, and the
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).
* The publication of a practical guide on international and regional
conventional mechanisms relevant to torture. The Handbook is conceived
as a tool for action. It seeks to respond to the practical needs of the
persons intending to employ international mechanisms and bodies to
challenge torture practices.
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