On December 10, the world recognizes the 40^th anniversary of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CaT), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1984. The treaty’s drafters and the original States party to it established the Convention in recognition that the right to be free from torture “derive(s) from the inherent dignity of the human person,” and sought to increase support for anti-torture efforts around the world.

The Convention against Torture was adopted long after torture was widely considered to be prohibited by international laws and norms, so why was such a convention needed in the mid-1980s?

Because people and communities were still being subjected to torture in countries around the world. Men, women and even children from diverse backgrounds continued to report torture used to punish them, cause pain, exact revenge and control them. By extension, the ongoing use of torture controlled and oppressed communities. These people had the right to a life without torture, but when that right was violated, they needed help.

See the Convention against Torture timeline here.

Victims need mechanisms for redress, accountability and rehabilitation. At the Center for Victims of Torture, we work with survivors of torture who tell us about the power of healing and rebuilding their lives after torture. But they also tell us about their desire for justice. About their desire to create a world for their children that is better than the world they faced.

Let us remember that the Convention against Torture is not just a legal document, but a moral commitment and a call to action—a call to stand together, regardless of our differences, and to work relentlessly toward the eradication of torture in all its forms.”

Osama Ahmad Al-Mohammad, country director, CVT Jordan

Many important steps have been taken toward that better world through pathways that were opened in large part because of the Convention.

It was the Convention against Torture that connected directly to victims the remedies owed after torture, centering those who are owed redress. With its calls for protection against torture and requirements for accountability and rehabilitation, the CaT provided support to people and communities subjected to torture. To the extent that an anti-torture movement had already existed, adoption of the CaT brought new visibility, new thinking and new mobilization to spark expansion and impact.

Some of this momentum began as a result of one of the basic provisions of the Convention against Torture: the requirement that states must actively protect people from torture. Part of this protection includes that no one should ever be returned to a place where there are substantial grounds for believing they would be in danger of being tortured. Known as “non-refoulement,” this protection is important in many contexts, including for asylum seekers, who are not supposed to be sent back to their dangerous home countries.

The CaT also requires states to hold people accountable for torture and to have systems in place so that people can bring forward allegations of torture and have their voices heard. Relatedly, the CaT specifically prohibits use as evidence any statement that is derived from torture.

In the MENA region, where conflicts persist, the Convention continues to inspire efforts to protect human rights, promote justice and advocate for a future free from torture and inhumane treatment.”

Noor Zada, program manager, New Tactics

In addition, the CaT ensures that victims have rights to redress, rehabilitation and compensation. This is particularly important to the anti-torture movement, as healing the wounds of torture is a specialization that incorporates trauma-informed and culturally appropriate approaches and expertise, and one that often requires interdisciplinary care so that physical and psychological damage are addressed. It takes funding to do this work. When the Convention was published, there was one torture rehabilitation center in the world, called Dignity, located in Denmark. The second, Freedom from Torture, opened in London a month later.

And then we opened our doors as the Center for Victims of Torture in Minnesota, U.S., in May of 1985. Global interest and support for the Convention had an influential hand in our origin as well as guiding many aspects of our programming across our now-40 year history.

A client seen at our program in Ethiopia commented on how she benefited from rehabilitative care, the kind of trauma-informed care that is promised in the Convention, saying “I felt as though I had buried myself alongside my executed family members, but CVT unearthed me and brought me back to life.”

I felt as though I had buried myself alongside my executed family members, but CVT unearthed me and brought me back to life.”

-Former client, CVT Ethiopia

The Convention was also a support for the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, which was established by the UN General Assembly in 1981 to focus global attention on the needs of torture victims. The Fund supports organizations that help victims and their families to rebuild their lives and to seek redress for the human rights violations they have suffered.

Like most countries, throughout its history the United States has at times violated the prohibition on torture. But it has also taken important steps to ensure those crimes are not repeated and to provide rehabilitation to survivors. For example, President Ronald Reagan signed the CaT in 1988, and then President Bill Clinton signed the Torture Victims Relief Act, which enabled funding for torture rehabilitation centers both inside and outside the U.S.

“The CaT was ratified by the U.S. Senate faster than any other human rights treaty, indicating that the prohibition of torture and cruelty was a value widely shared,” said Doug Johnson, who served as CVT’s first executive director and is now a lecturer in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School. “And the CaT is the first treaty to formally recognize the right of victims to reparation and healing and the state’s duty to remedy. This was a breakthrough.”

The CaT was ratified by the U.S. Senate faster than any other human rights treaty, indicating that the prohibition of torture and cruelty was a value widely shared. And the CaT is the first treaty to formally recognize the right of victims to reparation and healing and the state’s duty to remedy. This was a breakthrough.”

Doug Johnson, CVT’s first executive director

The work continues. Unfortunately, the need continues. With more than 120 million people forcibly displaced, we know that many among them are survivors of torture. As we commemorate this 40^th anniversary, we must acknowledge its importance and clarity and recommit to its provisions.

 “On the 40th anniversary of the Convention against Torture let us renew our commitment to a world free of torture,” said Osama Ahmad Al-Mohammad, country director, CVT Jordan. “Let us remember that the Convention against Torture is not just a legal document, but a moral commitment and a call to action—a call to stand together, regardless of our differences, and to work relentlessly toward the eradication of torture in all its forms.”

“The Convention against Torture stands as a cornerstone in the global fight against inhumanity,” said Noor Zada, program manager, New Tactics. “In the MENA region, where conflicts persist, the Convention continues to inspire efforts to protect human rights, promote justice and advocate for a future free from torture and inhumane treatment. Because the Convention requires both accountability for perpetrators along with support for survivors, it brings an urgent obligation to the global community for a solid commitment to action, solidarity and the fight against impunity.”