Torture remains a reality in many countries around the world. As one of the largest recipients of refugees in the world, South Africa has become home to many victims of this extreme form of human rights violation. Sadly torture continues to be perpetrated within South Africa, which has high rates of violent crime as well as one of the highest levels of economic inequality in the world. These factors continuously impact on the rehabilitation of victims of torture. The impacts of torture are diverse and include biological, psychological, and social dimensions. In many instances, the impacts of torture are exacerbated by additional, external stressors that victims are exposed to, either directly or indirectly, related to their experience of torture. The overall purpose of this project is to develop a contextually appropriate torture rehabilitation model. In the first step of the project, the most common impacts of torture and suitable interventions were identified. This entailed a three-stage research process involving: a review of existing literature, an analysis of individual session process notes completed by clinical staff providing psychosocial rehabilitation services to victims of torture at the CSVR, and finally a Delphi process with a panel of experienced people in the field.
