presentation at National Consultation

8/14/2019 presentation at National Consultation

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Testimony to improvepsychosocial wellbeing and

promote advocacy for survivorsof torture and organized

violence

Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

Convener PVCHR Ms. Shirin Shabana Khan

Project Coordinator, PVCHR



A collaborative project of

• Rehabilitation andResearch Centre forTorture Victims (RCT),Copenhagen

&

• Peoples’ VigilanceCommittee on HumanRights (PVCHR), Varanasi



Testimony as a Brief TherapyIntervention

First project in Varanasi, India with thehuman rights organization:

Peoples’ Vigilance Committee on HumanRights (PVCHR):

“Capacity building project ontestimonial therapy for Human Rights Organizations in India”



The objectives of the

project Context specific manuals for using theTestimony Method developed

Capacity built in using the Testimony Methodamong human rights defenders

Psychosocial wellbeing of survivors enhanced

Impact and outcomes analyzed through an

M&E system



Interpretation of Testimony(Dr. Jhawar , clinical

psychologist, Varanasi) T- Truth E- Emotions S- Sentiments T- Tortured I – Individual M- Magnifiable

O- Operations N- Never Y- Yielding their rights



Testimony Model

DevelopedFour sessions:

1. Session one: Opening the story

2. Session two: Closing the story

3. Session three: Delivery ceremony

4. Session four: Follow up



PVCHR Human Rights

Work Investigate & Document Violations

Advocacy

“Folk Schools” in “People Friendly” model Villages

People can give testimonies and receive

support from the group Concerns of health and education



Manual

A manual on testimony therapy for community workers

and human rights defenders was developed (published

both in English and Hindi)

Giving Voice

“Using Testimony as a Brief Therapy: Intervention in

Psychosocial Community Work for Survivors of

Torture and Organised Violence”



Testimony Workshops

Three two-week training-of-trainers workshops conducted:

1. May 2008: 12 human rights defenders from PVCHR 2. January 2009: 14 Human rights defenders from four states:

Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh.

3. February-March 2009: 14 Human rights defenders from

three states: Jharkhand, Manipur and Chattisgarh



Schedule of Workshops

Two parts:

1. First week:

Theory and exercises (through role plays)

2. Second week:

Practice: Participants take testimonies withsurvivors under supervision



Testimonies collected

Period of data collection:12 months (May

2008 to April 2009)

On average the interview is held 1 year and5 month after the date of the most stressful

event



Background of survivors A total of 85 primary and secondary victims of

which:

Male: 65 (76 %) Female: 20 (24 %)

Average age: 39.2 yrs; Age - ranging: 18 -70 yrs



Background of survivors

Category of survivors

Primary Victim: 61

Secondary Victim: 24

Secondary victims most often reported relation

to primary victim as either wife (29 %), father

(14 %) or brother.

Religion: Vast majority are Hindus (86 %, n= 72) followed by

christian (7 %, n=6).




Caste Upper Caste: 9 % (n = 8)

OBC: 46 % (n = 39)

SC: 21 % (n = 18)

ST: 24 % (n = 20)




Education

No education: 28 % (n= 24)

Primary education: 19 % (n=16)

Secondary education: 19 % (n= 16) BA: 11 % (n=9)

Other 24 % (n =20)

high school, intermediate, BAMS



Background of survivors Occupation:

Agriculture: 37 % (n =31) Business: 6 % (n =5)

Household: 6 % (n =5) Public service, journalism, teacher: 6 % (n=5) Lawyer, doctor: 2 % (n=2) Government or political position: 2 % (n=2)

Other 40 % (n = 34), Primarily landless labour, such as haker, tea stall,

making plates or rickshaw driver Not working 2 % (n =2)




Activities: Humanitarian/ Solidarity: 29 % (n =25)

Political: 6 % (n=5) Religious: 6 % (n=5)

Trade Union: 2 % (n=2)

Press: 1 % (n=1)

No activities: 49 % (n=42)



Type of Violations

Types of Human Rights violations: Psychological torture: 82 % (n=70)

Physical torture: 48 % (n=41)

Sexual torture: 4 % (n=3)

Custodial death of primary victim: 2 % (n =2)

Extra-judicial killing of primary victim: 1 %

(n=1)



Identity of Perpetrator

Identity of perpetrator: Police: 80 % (n =68)

Armed forces: 5 % (n =4)

Intelligence Service: 2 % (n =2)

Prison authority: 1 % (n =1)

Other: 34 % (n =29), Primarily neighbours, Village leader and Upper

caste



Injured Part of Body

Most frequently injured parts of body

one or both legs 25 % (n =21)

back 24 % (n =20)

one or both arms 20 % (n =17) one foot or both feet 15 % (n =13)

face 13 % (n =11)

head 9 % (n =8)

chest/breast 8 % (n =7)

not injured: 28 % (n =24)

On average primary victims report 2.4 injured body parts



Nature of Injury

Most frequently types of physical injuries: Pain 26 % (n=22)

Loss of function 26 % (n =20)

Loss of sensation 20 % (n= 17) Open wound 20 % (n =17)

Loss of strength 18 % (n =15)

Bruise 11 % (n=8)

Fracture 9 % (n =8)

Not injured 24 % (n=20)



Treatment before Testimonial Therapy

Legal aid: 33 % (n=28)

Testimony before tribunal: 31 % (n=26)

Public hospital: 19 % (n=16)

Counselling: 19 % (n=16)

Medication: 17 % (n=14)

Private hospital: 11 % (n=9)

Physiotherapy: 4 % (n=3) Surgery: 2 % (n=2)

None: 29 % (n=25)



Use of Testimony

Survivor wants:

80 % want it published or used for human rights work

Other interventions by PVCHR or other actors: Medical: 8 % (n=7)

Social: 55 % (n=47)

Legal: 60 % (n=51) Reading of testimony at Folk School Meeting: 53 % (n=45)



Types of Delivery Ceremonies

At public demonstration in front of Government

Head Quarters

At “Folk School” meetings

At community meetings

At street plays & singing



Demonstration in front of District Headquarter



Folk School Meeting



Community Meeting



Street Play



Out come of ProfessionalConsultation

Interesting part of this therapy is that it has both Western element of Anger Management, ClassicalConditioning and Eastern approach of relaxationmethods and Meditation.

It’s a cost effective model of psychotherapy whichdon’t require clinics or hospitals but, directly onecan do this intervention at the doorsteps of the victim. For ex. His house, community, in a forest

etc. The economic cost of the whole approach seems to be very less than regular psychotherapy session in aclinic or hospital.



Facts

There are around 3,000 adequately qualified

psychiatrists and 1000 clinical psychologist

in the entire country of more than a billion populations.

In U.P itself there may only be less than 100 psychiatrists and 100 psychologists. The

ratio of doctors is very less.



Advocacy

Web Advocacy:

Web News: www.mynews.in You Tube: www.youtube.com

Legal: Meta Legal: (Cases in Human Rights institutions, allied

system, police departments, policy makers and UN)

Legal: (which are in the court)

http://www.mynews.in/

http://www.youtube.com/

http://www.youtube.com/

http://www.mynews.in/



Aims of this Consultation

To increase the awareness of how torture engenders psychological symptomsin survivors and how it affects their daily life. To discuss the experiencesgained after taking testimonies of 80 survivors of TOV.

To integrate testimony into political campaigns, contributing to the national

campaign for the ratification of CAT and the national domestic law againsttorture.

To explore the possibility of creating alliances with different politicalorganizations and stake holders in India concerning the fight against TOV.

To promote the psycho-social well-being of the survivor of TOV.

Documents

presentation at National Consultation