7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

1/6

Peoples Vigilance Committee for Human Rights and Dignity: Danish

Institute against Tortures Project against torture and organized

violence - Analysis

The project aiming to eradicate torture and organized violence, uses its strongest

tool, Testimonial therapy to heal and empower to strengthen the individual and

the community to fight against and prevent caste based violence, police torture,

gender discrimination, domestic violence etc. Parallel to Testimonial therapy,

legal support, medical assistance and meta- legal intervention is done. The follow

up of the above assistance is done by organizing Honor ceremonies and folk

school that consolidate the experience of fighting injustice by learning to express

freely and take collective action. The barefoot workers who come forward to

uphold and strengthen the learnings of the community voluntarily, reflects the

deep impact of the multi dimensional intervention done under the project.

On the basis of the surveys done under the Testimonial Therapy between July

2010 and June 2012, we come to see the nature of torture and organized violence

that we are working to eliminate.

45 % of the victims are women

4%

33%

57%

5%

1%

Percentage of victims belonging to

different communities

Upper Caste

Other Backward Caste

Scheduled Caste

Scheduled TribeOthers

7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

2/6

58%23%

9%

5%

3% 0%2%

Literacy levels of TOV victims

Illetrate

Primary school

Middle school

High school

Inter mediate

Graduation

Other

87%

4%9%

0% 0%

Religion of Victims

Hindu

Bhuddhist

Muslim

Christian

Atheist

34

96

33

31

14

5

2

4

112

Unemployed

Home makers

Landless labourers

Farmers

Animal rearing

Trade

Govrn/Political

Private

Other

Occupations

Number of persons in diff. occupations

7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

3/6

The above graphs clearly show that 95 % of the victims who were given

testimonial therapy belong to the Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other

Backward Castes. Majority of the victims are illiterate who are thus taken

advantage of by the perpetrators who in majority are the police. Along with

physical torture Most of the victims of torture experience psychological torture

for whom testimonial therapy is the best healing process. As 45% of the victims

are women who due to culture and tradition are restrained to share their

sufferings and pain, find an outlet to speak out loud the suffering they went

61%

2%3%

3%

31%

Perpetrators of Violence

Police

Secret department

Army

Prison officials

Others

124

237

39

1 6

Physical torture Pschychological

torture

Sexual torture Death in

custody

Other

Kinds of Human Rights Violations

No. of diff. kinds of Human rights violations

7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

4/6

through and in the process find the courage to accuse the perpetrator of injustice

than sitting silent which is the predominant culture.

Follow up of testimonial therapy

On analyzing the total Meta legal assistance given to the victims of torture and

organized violence, of 5 blocks (Badagaon and Pindra block of Varanasi district,

Tanda block of Ambedkar Nagar district, Roberstganj block of Sonebhadra district

of Uttar Pradesh and Domchach block of Koderma district in Jharkhand state of

India), between July 2010 and June 2012, the findings are shown in the graphs

below:

21%

17%62%

Total Model Blocks 2010-12

Total cases - 186

District Govt. Authority

State Govt & Commission

National Govt. & and

Commission

District Govt.

Authority

State Govt &

Commission

National Govt. &

and Commission

8365

241

10 11

75

Model blocks 2010-12 Total- 186 cases

Total Petitions Response to Petition

7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

5/6

Total petitions

Total response to

petitions

389

96

Petitions and their response

Petitions and their response

6

32

25

4

8 8

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Police S.P. D.M. Medical

/ CMO

DPO Others

Blocks Total- 186 cases

Number of petitions filed

at the District

Government Authorities

36

19

37

DGP Others SHRC Others

Blocks Meta Legal Intervention

Number of petitions filed at the State Government and State

Commissions

7/30/2019 115743560-Analysis

6/6

According to the data we see that of the total petitions filed at the district, state

and National levels, only 25% of them have received response from the

governments and human rights commissions. The above quantitative analysis

shows that the National Human Rights Commissions inefficiency in responding to

the petitions requires a reawakening. In spite of such a percentage we have seen

that the psycholegal efforts have had an empowering impact on the victims and

the communities as they were central in the process of the follow up. Thecommunities in the 50 model villages are constructing a new culture which is

driven by knowledge and spirit to deal effectively with any human rights

violations and prevent any potential unrest by cultivating embracing attitudes.

180

13

40

2 2 4

NHRC NCW NCSC NCM Others National Govt

Authority

Blocks- Meta legal Intervention

Number of petitions filed at the Central government and National

Commissions