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.

PTV's History

Dr. Jose Quiroga, cardiologist and former personal physician to Chilean President Salvador Allende, and Ana Deutsch, a clinical psychologist and survivor of Argentina’s “dirty war,” founded PTV in 1980. When it was established, PTV was the only program in the country solely dedicated to treating survivors of torture. PTV was a volunteer organization for nearly 14 years. In 1994, the Program for Torture Victims was incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and received its first grant from the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture. In 1998, Congress passed the Torture Victims Relief Act (TVRA), appropriating funds for torture treatment programs through the Office of Refugee Resettlement, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. In 2001, the program received a federal grant for $2 million over a four-year period, allowing PTV to add staff and relocate to the Mercado La Paloma, near downtown Los Angeles.

Since that time PTV has provided services to more than 3,000 survivors from over 65 countries. Survivors learn about the Program for Torture Victims through word of mouth, immigration attorneys, or social service agencies. We also initiate outreach programs to some of the most traumatized and vulnerable communities in the region.