The Program for Torture Victims (PTV)

	Report Calls CIA Detainee Treatment 'Inhuman' 04/07/09 Medical officers who oversaw interrogations of terrorism suspects in CIA secret prisons committed gross violations of medical ethics and in some cases essentially participated in torture, the International Committee of the Red Cross concluded in a confidential report that labeled the CIA program "inhuman." more...

	Network for Good 11/19/08 All services PTV provides to clients are free. You can support PTV's work by making a donation online through Network for Good. All gifts are tax-deductible, and allow PTV to fulfill its mission of alleviating the suffering and health consequences of state-stponsored torture. To make a donation, please click here

	Senate Joint Resolution 19 11/19/08 Senate Joint Resolution 19, resolution to stop California doctors and nurses from participating in torture passes through the Assembly. more...

PTV is a non-profit organization whose mission is to alleviate the suffering and health consequences of torture through psychological, medical, and case management services to victims of state-sponsored torture.

For over 28 years, the Program for Torture Victims has been working towards alleviating the suffering and health consequences of state-sponsored torture among refugees and asylum-seekers in the greater Los Angeles region. Program for Torture Victims has helped to heal over 3,000 torture survivors by providing free medical, psychological, and case management services and networking with other professionals on behalf of clients to access free legal aid, dental care, HIV/AIDS treatment, interpreter services, ophthalmology specialization and gynecological treatment for women who have undergone female genital cutting. The Program for Torture Victims has developed an integrated approach to rehabilitation. In addition to offering medical and psychological services to clients, PTV works to leverage existing community resources to meet clients’ immediate and basic needs, and lend support for cultural adjustment.

Established in 1980 by Dr. Jose Quiroga and Ana Deutsch, the pioneers of the torture treatment movement, Program for Torture Victims is the only torture treatment program in Los Angeles. Los Angeles County receives one of the largest percentages of immigrants entering the United States. We serve individuals from over 65 different countries. Our clients come from places such as Cameroon, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Pakistan, Armenia and Iran.

	Medical PTV offers medical treatment to counteract the effects of the trauma induced by torture. Clients also receive continuing medical treatment through partnerships with other doctors and clinics.

	Psychological PTV offers psychological evaluation, individual and family psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluation and follow-up, and psychological affidavits for immigration court. In addition, PTV offers Healing Clubs to create cultural and social activities for clients and their families.

	Case Management PTV provides case management services to help torture victims navigate their way through Los Angeles and its community. PTV established long-term relationships with local social service agencies.

	Expert Witness Services Our staff prepares forensic medical and psychological evaluations and serves as expert witnesses in federal immigration court. Reliving horrific experiences through testimony can be extremely traumatic to the survivor. The presence of a trusted PTV staff member can provide the extra moral support a client may need to answer detailed questions relative to their trauma.

	Education & Advocacy PTV engages elected officials and policy makers in discussions surrounding advocacy and funding. Additionally, PTV also provides trainings to health and mental health providers, and outreach to other community agencies. Currently, PTV’s provisions further include graduate level internships to UCLA and USC students.

The United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment defines torture as: “Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him/her or a third person information or a confession…inflicted by or at the instigation or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.”

Torture is illegal under national and international law; yet many nations still employ torture as a means to terrorize and intimidate their citizens. The methods of torture are as varied as they are cruel: rape, whipping, suspension upside down, submersion in water to the brink of death, burning, and electric shocks to sensitive areas, among others. Psychological torture includes humiliation, degrading insults, threats (both personal and directed towards family members), and torturing loved ones in front of family and friends.

Surviving torture, however, is only the first obstacle: survivors also deal with feelings of depression, guilt, hopelessness, and powerlessness. In addition, the trauma of torture is compounded by the survivor’s flight from his/her native country, and by the challenges of adjusting to a new society and culture.

When I arrived in Los Angeles, the Congolese community of Southern California referred me to Program for Torture Victims, where I met people who wanted to help me. My life began to change. The competent and caring staff immediately took me under their wing. I received the medical care I needed. My anxiety eroded to a thin line of nervousness, then to nothing at all. With the help of these professionals, I was able find my feet, my self-esteem, and my passion once again. I have come from a shell to a seed and from a seed to a small flower. PTV saved my life.