organizations

Please Note: This list is a work in progress. Please let us know if you feel that any of the material below is inaccurate or unclear, or if there are other things you think should be included. We especially welcome updates or corrections from organizations we have listed here.

 

ORGANIZATIONS FEATURED IN THE DOCUMENTARY

• Asylum Network, Physicians for Human Rights Cambridge, Massachusetts. PHR's Asylum Network assists asylum seekers by mobilizing physicians and mental health professionals to conduct evaluations of asylum seekers, in order to document the forensic evidence of torture and abuse.
• Atlanta Asylum Network, Institute of Human Rights Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. A student-founded organization of health professionals and student case managers who volunteer their time to assist survivors of torture and persecution seeking political asylum in the United States.
• Center for Victims of Torture Minneapolis, Minnesota. CVT is the first treatment center in the United States dedicated solely to healing the physical and psychological wounds of torture survivors and their families. The Center also advocates for the investigation and abolition of torture worldwide. CVT's New Tactics in Human Rights project promotes tactical innovation and strategic thinking within the international human rights community and encourages the use and sharing of as wide a range of tactics as possible through its interactive website.
• Coordinated Care Program for Political Violence Survivors Cambridge, Massachusetts. A project of the Political Trauma Services Network at the multi-hospital Cambridge Health Alliance, this program coordinates physical and psychological care, legal services, and social services advocacy for torture survivors.
• Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma Cambridge, Massachusetts. HPRT is a multi-disciplinary program that has been pioneering the health and mental health care of traumatized refugees and civilians in areas of conflict and natural disasters for over two decades.

 

 

U.S. TREATMENT CENTERS

 

• Advocates of Survivors of Torture and Trauma Baltimore, Maryland, and Washington, DC. ASTT offers mental health and social services to survivors of torture and war trauma.
• Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture New York City, New York. This program provides comprehensive medical and mental health care, as well as social and legal services to survivors of torture and war trauma as well as their family members.
• Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights Boston, Massachusetts. Located at Boston Medical Center, the Center provides asylum evaluations and comprehensive health services for survivors of torture. Interpreters are available and speak over 30 languages.
• Center for Survivors of Torture Dallas and Austin, Texas. CST offers comprehensive mental health services to survivors of torture.
• Center for Victims of Torture Minneapolis, Minnesota. CVT is the first treatment center in the United States dedicated solely to healing the physical and psychological wounds of torture survivors and their families. The Center also advocates for the investigation and abolition of torture worldwide.
• Coordinated Care Program for Political Violence Survivors Cambridge, Massachusetts. A project of the Political Trauma Services Network at the multi-hospital Cambridge Health Alliance, this program coordinates physical and psychological care, legal services, and social services advocacy for torture survivors.
• F.I.R.S.T. Project for Immigrants & Refugees Surviving Torture Lincoln, Nebraska. FIRST offers comprehensive mental health services to survivors of torture and trauma.
• Florida Center for Survivors of Torture Florida. The Florida Center offers medical and psychological services to survivors of torture as well as training for health care providers on how to respond to the needs of torture survivors.
• Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma Cambridge, Massachusetts. HPRT is a multi-disciplinary program that has been pioneering the health and mental health care of traumatized refugees and civilians in areas of conflict and natural disasters for over two decades.
• Rocky Mountain Survivors Center Denver, Colorado. Offers asylum legal representation, social services, and health care services.
• Survivors International San Francisco, California. SI offers asylum evaluation, medical and psychological services for torture survivors, and training for clinicians.
• Survivors of Torture and Trauma Program, Center for Multicultural Human Services Virginia. Offers a range of services, including mental health services, language classes, youth leadership classes, and domestic violence prevention programs to diverse immigrant and refugee populations. CMHS also conducts training for health professionals on how to effectively address the needs of refugee torture survivors.
• Survivors of Torture, International San Diego, California. Provides asylum evaluations as well as medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, legal and social services for survivors of torture.

 

 

ORGANIZATIONS WORKING ON ASYLUM ISSUES

 

• Asylum Network, Physicians for Human Rights Cambridge, Massachusetts. PHR's Asylum Network assists asylum seekers by mobilizing physicians and mental health professionals to conduct evaluations of asylum seekers, in order to document the forensic evidence of torture and abuse.
• Atlanta Asylum Network, Institute of Human Rights Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. A student-founded organization of health professionals and student case managers who volunteer their time to assist survivors of torture and persecution seeking political asylum in the United States.
• Center for Gender and Refugee Studies seeks to protect the human rights of refugee women and girls by advancing gender-sensitive asylum laws, helping advocates represent women in need of protection, and preventing these refugees from being forcibly returned to the countries from which they have fled.
• Doctors of the World - USA New York, New York. A network of doctors who conduct evaluations for those seeking asylum. They also do extensive human rights and health-related work abroad.
• National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children The center helps unaccompanied immigrant children by providing them with the legal and social services necessary to navigate U.S. Immigration Courts. It is a program of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.
  
• Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children works to improve the lives and protect the rights of refugee an internally displaced women, children, and youth. It is affiliated with the International Rescue Committee.

 

 

SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY

 

• Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society HIAS offers rehabilitative and resettlement services to refugees and torture survivors.
• National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights NNIRR is a network of coalitions and grass-roots organizations in the US that advocate for the rights of refugees and immigrants.
• Owl and Panther Writing Project seeks to treat trauma associated with torture, dislocation, refugee status, or family problems through involving children and young people in creative writing, counseling, and community service.
• Torture Abolition and Survivors Support Coalition International Washington, DC. TASSC is a network of torture survivors who advocate and lobby to end torture and demand government accountability in the United States and abroad.
• Women's Commission for Refugee Women & Children The Women's Commission works to protect the rights of refugee women and children by conducting research, field visits, and consultation, and by developing policy.

 

 

LEGAL SUPPORT AND LITIGATION

 

• Center for Justice and Accountability An international human rights organization, CJA uses litigation to hold perpetrators individually accountable for human rights abuses, develop human rights law, and advance the rule of law in countries transitioning from periods of abuse.
• Detained Torture Survivor Legal Support Network A program of the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (LIRS). LIRS identifies torture survivors lost in the U.S. detention center system, advocates for their rights, and offers legal representation.
• Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project Florence, Arizona. The Florence Project provides free legal care to refugees held in detention centers in Florence and Eloy, Arizona.
• Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center FIAC is a not-for-profit legal assistance organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the basic human rights of immigrants of all nationalities at the local, state and national levels.
• Greater Boston Legal Services, Immigration Unit works with asylum seekers and other immigrants and refugees, including those who have experienced torture and other forms of trauma.
• National Immigration Law Center NILC focuses its activities on the legal protection of immigrants and refugees in the United States.
• Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center PIRC is a legal services organization that offers extensive legal assistance to refugee torture survivors held in detention centers, primarily in York County Prison.

 

 

HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

 

• Amnesty International USA AI's United States branch, undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
• Global Lawyers and Physicians Boston, Massachusetts. A non-profit non-governmental organization that focuses on health and human rights issues.
• Human Rights Action Network, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  Provides advocacy for scientists wrongfully accused and arbitrarily incarcerated by national governments.
• Human Rights First New York, New York, and Washington DC. HRF works to protect the rights of refugees and assist those seeking asylum.
• Human Rights Watch An international human rights monitoring organization working to demand government accountability, challenge governmental policy, and investigate human rights violations.
• Physicians for Human Rights An organization of physicians and health professionals. PHR conducts research and campaigns to end torture, prevent torture, and demand government accountability.
• Scholars at Risk Network SAR is an international network of colleges and universities dedicated to protecting the rights and freedoms of academics throughout the world.

 

INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

• Amnesty International AI undertakes research and action focused on preventing and ending grave abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights.
• Association for the Prevention of Torture Works with governments to strengthen capacity to prevent torture, develop systems to monitor detention centers, and develop legal instruments to prevent torture.
• Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture Toronto, Ontario. CCVT offers social, legal, and medical rehabilitative services for survivors of torture. Operating since 1983, it was the second center in the world to offer such services.
• Canadian Council for Refugees Montreal, Quebec. Aids refugees in the process of resettlement to Canada.
• CINAT: Coalition of International NGOs against Torture Bringing together six prominent torture survivor advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International, CINAT serves as a tool for lobbying against torture, providing legal and social services to survivors, and demanding government accountability.
• Derechos Human Rights Derechos is an internet-based international human rights organization, with a focus on Latin America.
• Global Health Council A membership alliance of organizations dedicated to saving lives by improving health throughout the world. Refugee health is one of many topics covered in their resources section.
• Huridocs Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems, International A global capacity-building network of organizations that use documentation techniques, monitoring methods, information management systems and available technologies in the defence of human rights and the prevention of abuses.
• International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC works to protect and assist victims of war and armed violence around the world.
• International Federation of Action by Christians Against Torture An international Christian-based organization, FICAT works to educate Churches about the urgent need to end torture.
• International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Activities include disaster response management, psychosocial services for torture survivors, and community health care services.
• International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights An international human rights organization working to monitor human rights violations throughout Europe.
• International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims Denmark. In partnership with the United Nations and the European Union, IRCT oversees a network of medical and social rehabilitation centers for torture survivors worldwide. Their website also offers information about definitions of torture.
• International Rescue Committee IRC is an international network of treatment centers and rehabilitative programs for survivors of torture.
• Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture Great Britain. The Medical Foundation offers medical, psychological, legal and social services to survivors of torture in the UK. It also seeks to raise public awareness about torture and its consequences throughout the world.
  
• Redress London, England. Redress is an international human rights organization that assists torture survivors in gaining reparation and justice.
• World Organization Against Torture Geneva, Switzerland. Issues urgent appeals to national governments and their constituents to end the torture of individuals and groups in countries around the world.