THE ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN AND THE MEDICAL-PROFESSION IN THE PREVENTION OF INTERNATIONAL TORTURE AND IN THE TREATMENT OF ITS SURVIVORS

The prevention of torture and the treatment of survivors are issues th at concern an increasing number of physicians in their daily work. Eve ry day, thousands of men, women, and children are subjected to violenc e and are forced to flee their homelands. There are more than 18 milli on refugees in the world and hundreds of thousands of persons seeking asylum, many of them in the United States. Physicians are often the fi rst to interview these victims of abuse. Torture has serious and long- lasting health consequences. Thus, physicians can play a key role in d ocumenting and preventing many forms of abuse and in treating survivor s. In some areas, physicians may become the targets of arrest because of their work as clinicians or as influential members of their communi ties. They may also face disturbing ethical dilemmas as they witness t orture or its results. As members of the medical profession, physician s have an obligation to their peers around the world. This report revi ews the current state of physicians' involvement in the prevention of international torture and in the treatment of its victims. We propose ways in which physicians can become involved by caring for survivors o f torture and by providing expert testimony on behalf of victims who s eek asylum. We discuss how the medical profession complements the effo rts of individual physicians by providing an infrastructure to support and guide their work. Medical organizations can adopt and disseminate ethical principles that specifically address human rights and their v iolation. They can coordinate letter-writing networks for human rights , organize or sponsor fact-finding missions, and develop continuing me dical education courses on topics such as the identification and treat ment of victims of torture. We conclude that physicians can make a dif ference, both as clinicians and as advocates for the health of the pub lic and the protection of human rights. The American College of Physic ians will continue to advocate for the rights of persons and communiti es to live in dignity and peace, free of the fear of unjust imprisonme nt or torture.