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On June 26, 2010, the Program for Torture Victims launched its "Profits for Peace" campaign. Collaborating restaurants and businesses are honoring the United Nations Day in Support of Victims of Torture by contributing proceeds for a day, a week, a month, or a year thereafter to the Program for Torture Victims.
To find out how you can get involved in Profits for Peace, contact Lorene Chandler,
(213) 747-4944 x 256 or lchand [at] ptvla.org.
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June 25th: LA City Council Resolution
To read text of the City Council resolution, click here.
To view video footage of the PTV presentation to City Council, click here.
Abdulaye in Council
Chambers | On June 25, 2010, 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. Co-founder Dr. Jose Quiroga and Executive Director Julie Gutman addressed the Council, accompanied by Gloria Pink, owner of the legendary Pink’s Hot Dogs and one of many businesses that have donated to PTV as part of the new "Profits for Peace” campaign.
At the center of it all were the humble men and women who have courageously rebuilt their lives after enduring unspeakable horrors. As they quietly recited their stories and thanked the Council for the opportunity to speak, L.A.’s status as a haven for refugees and the city of second chances took on a deeper meaning. Here were immigrants from around the world, tortured and abandoned by their own countries, receiving a hero’s welcome from elected officials of their adopted homeland.
“Los Angeles has always opened its arms to those in need, and it is in that spirit that the Program for Torture Victims carries on its noble work,” said the mayor, whose city is home to the largest number of refugees, asylum seekers, and torture survivors in the country. Endorsing PTV's Profits for Peace campaign, the mayor said, “I hope that people around the city will join me in supporting PTV, and in so doing will help heal the victims of torture who now call Los Angeles home.”
More about the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture: Torture is the most profound human rights abuse, taking a terrible toll on millions of individuals and their families. On June 26, 1987, the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment became international law. To increase international support for torture treatment, in 1997, the General Assembly decided to annually observe the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. Each year on June 26, people around the world gather to celebrate this day, paying respects to those who have survived the unimaginable.
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