On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations, has reintroduced the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act (TVPA).

    According to a United Nations resolution, every June 26^th is set aside to focus on helping torture victims and ending torture, which takes a terrible toll on millions of individuals and their families. The types of torture reported around the world ranges from sleep deprivation to electric shocks to beatings to rape. However, it also may involve threats and other unsettling treatment intended to intimidate the victim.

     “Torture is too often used to punish political opponents or as a crude method of questioning suspects,” Smith said.  “The lives of millions of people have been irrevocably harmed by various forms of torture – be they physical or psychological, and we must use all necessary and available resources to help these victims recover and resume their lives as best they can.  Torturers win when we stand by and allow their victims to continue to suffer.”

     H.R. 4987, cosponsored by Reps. Frank Wolf and James McGovern, authorizes funding to support torture treatment programs in the U.S. and abroad.  Torture treatment programs help survivors and their loved ones to heal through a holistic combination of medical, psychological, social, cultural, and legal services. Though they seek a new beginning in a land of safety, many torture survivors suffer post-traumatic stress disorder, nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, depression, hyper-vigilance, chronic pain, and fatigue, among other long-term effects of the torture they have endured.  The bill also provides training for foreign service officers to allow them to better determine how best to help torture victims.

    Since its inception in 1998, TVRA has been a bipartisan bill with support from a diverse spectrum of members who recognize the importance of this work to communities in the U.S. and overseas. In 2007, TVRA passed the House with a floor vote of 418-7 — showing the strong and bipartisan support for the bill.

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