Studying Torture Survivors
An Emerging Field in Mental Health
- Evin Kantemir, MD
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
The United Nations General Assembly has defined torture as the intentional infliction of physical or mental suffering by agents of the state.1 According to an analysis2 of Amnesty International's 1992 report on human rights violations, systematic torture was practiced in about half of the countries in the world in 1991. Although the total number of states that ratified or acceded to the United Nation's Convention Against Torture1 increased to 71 during 1992, the overall situation regarding human rights violations including torture has not improved.3
Despite the recognition that torture is widespread in many parts of the world and may lead to serious physical and emotional problems, the subject received relatively little scientific attention until the last two decades.4 The increased interest in this issue may have been promoted partly by the growing population of political refugees in Western countries and the studies by health professionals involved
Footnotes
-
Address correspondence to JAMA-Turkey, Turget Yayincilik ve Ticaret, AS, Kore Sehitleri Cad No. 50 Kat 4, Zincirlikuyu-Istanbul, Turkey 80300 (Dr Kantemir).
