Torture & Trauma - Phoenix Centre

Torture and its impact

What is Torture?

“Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.”

Article 1 of the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Torture and trauma is happening now in over a third of the world’s countries

Torture is not merely used to extract information from an unwilling person. The ultimate goal of torture and organised violence is to

  • institute and reinforce social and political control
  • eliminate political dissent and opposition
  • Build distrust of authority which leads to further decay in society

These are achieved by attempting to destroy the capacity of the tortured person to function normally and to sustain control over his or her life.

Torture can take many forms - physical or psychological.

It may consist of beatings, electric shock, sexual abuse, solitary detention, mock executions, sensory deprivations, being forced to witness others being tortured or killed, and detention in harsh and inhumane conditions. Torture has no political, religious, cultural, gender, class or age boundaries. Children, women and men are all subjects of torture.

The Impact of Torture

Torture has an impact on

  • the individual
  • the family
  • the community

It has a profound, immediate and long-term impact on physical and psychological health.

Some of the impacts of torture and trauma include

  • lack of self confidence, inability to trust
  • anger, fear, anxiety and restlessness
  • lack of concentration and interest – insomnia
  • physical symptoms: lack of energy & appetite, heart palpitations, headaches and stomach aches depression
  • nightmares
  • sense of loss
  • anger
  • fear
  • anxiety
  • lack of trust
  • emotional numbing
  • sleeping disturbances
  • recurring and intrusive memories
  • poor self-esteem
  • difficulty in concentrating
  • sadness
  • psychosomatic complaints
  • breakdown in family and personal relationships
  • breakdown in wider social and community relations

Torture Survivors in Australia

Since the end of World War II, survivors of torture and trauma have migrated to Australia through the refugee, humanitarian and general immigration programs, fleeing conflicts in the Asia Pacific region, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Middle East. Between 1951 and 2006 more than 675,000 refugee and humanitarian program entrants, including their families, have settled in Australia.