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LA Weekly - Profits for Peace - Dine Out for Human Rights
07/09/2010
All this month, certain LA-based restaurants will be donating their proceeds to Profits For Peace, a program that raises funds for the Program for Torture Victims. If you mention the Program for Torture Victims, or present a coupon at participating restaurants, a portion of their proceeds will go to the PTV for a day, a week, a month or a year. |
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A Proud Day in LA
07/06/2010
On June 25, torture survivors met with Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa as the Program for Torture Victims was officially honored by the City of Los Angeles for its 30-year record of work on behalf of torture survivors. In addition to adopting Councilmember Jan Perry's resolution honoring PTV and condemning torture, the Council declared June 26 Victims of Torture Day in Los Angeles. |
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Mayor and Councilwoman Endorse
06/25/2010
June 25, 2010 - Today, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilwoman Jan Perry endorsed a new initiative in the City of Los Angeles to bring awareness and funding to the country's torture survivors through the non-profit organization, Program for Torture Victims and their "Profit for Peace" campaign. |
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Los Angeles Times Op Ed by Harold Meyerson
06/24/2010
The Program for Torture Victims marks its 30th anniversary this year as the only center in Greater Los Angeles offering medical, psychological, legal, and case management services to victims of state-sponsored torture. |
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Profits for Peace
06/24/2010
Starting June 26, participating restaurants and businesses will contribute a portion of their proceeds to PTV for a day, a week, a month, or a year. Others, including the L.A. institution Pink's Hot Dogs, have made generous contributions to support this initiative. |
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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 30 years, the Program for Torture Victims has been working towards alleviating the suffering and health consequences of torture survivors in the Los Angeles region. PTV helps rebuild the lives of over 300 victims of state-sponsored torture annually by providing free medical, psychological, social, and expert witness services. Using an integrated approach to rehabilitation, 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, PTV is the only torture treatment program in Los Angeles. Located in the leading port of entry for refugees and asylum-seekers who have fled repressive governments, PTV serves individuals from over 65 countries. |
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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.
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PTV offers psychological evaluation, individual and family psychotherapy, psychiatric evaluation and follow-up, and psychological affidavits for immigration court.
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PTV provides case management services to help torture victims navigate their way through Los Angeles and its community. PTV has established long-term relationships with local social service agencies.
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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.
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PTV engages elected officials and policy makers in discussions surrounding advocacy and funding. Additionally, PTV gives trainings and workshops to health providers and other members of the community.
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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. |
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 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.
Read more client stories >> |
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