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The United States participated actively and effectively in the negotiation of the Convention. It marks a significant step in the development during this century of international measures against torture and other inhuman treatment or punishment. Ratification of the Convention by the United States will clearly express United States opposition to torture, an abhorrent practice unfortunately still prevalent in the world today.

- President Ronald Reagan
From his signing statement ratifying the UN Convention on Torture, 1984

Providing treatment for torture survivors is one of the best ways we can show our commitment to fighting human rights abuses around the world.

- Senator Paul Wellstone

Although the tree cannot move, its leaves are carried by the wind, delivering its message of hope.

- Igbo Proverb

News & Events

June 22-26, 2013

Join TASSC for Survivors Week in Washington DC

Saturday, June 22, 7am-7pm: Our week kicks off with a day long vigil at Lafayette Park across from the White House. Join survivors and friends of TASSC to demand an end to torture worldwide. Meet survivors, their families and hear first hand why torture must be brought to an end.

Monday, June 24 from 6-10pm: Celebrate our 16th anniversary with a fun evening at Busboys and Poets in Hyattville, MD.

Tuesday, June 25, 6-9pm: Join a discussion and evening with UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Juan Mendez at the Church of the Reformation, 213 E. Capitol Street.

Many more activities are planned. For full details visit www.tassc.org

June 26, 2013

International Day in Support of Victims of Torture

Please join Marjorie Kovler Center as we commemorate this day and honor survivors of torture. Loyola University Crown Center for the Humanities, Chicago, IL.

Visit the Marjorie Kovler Center website for details.

The National Consortium of Torture Treatment Programs (NCTTP) is a U.S. based network of programs which exists to advance the knowledge, technical capacities and resources devoted to the care of torture survivors living in the United States and acts collectively to prevent torture worldwide.

As violent political upheavals have increased in countries across the world, individuals, many of them civilians, in these countries have been intimidated, threatened, and tortured to further the goals of a government or in the wake of a lack of government’s intervention to prevent torture. Survivors of Torture, in many cases, have lost family, home, country, livelihoods, and they frequently have been brutally damaged emotionally and physically, leaving them with little hope and lessened capacity to carry on a productive, meaningful life in the United States.

Most survivors of torture currently living in the U.S. do not ever have a chance to receive assistance.

An estimate of the number of torture survivors coming to the United States since 1975 for safety and refuge ranges from 125,000 to 750,000 or higher. In FY 2008, NCTTP centers had the capacity to provide specialized assistance to 5,000 to 6,000 survivors – a very small fraction of those who needed help.

NCTTP’s primary purpose is to foster the development, in quality as well as quantity, of specialized programs devoted to caring for survivors of torture. Member organizations share knowledge and expertise through regular communication and cooperation, building stronger individual organizations as well as a stronger network of care. Providing health, mental health, legal assistance, and / or other support services to victims of torture, NCTTP member centers conduct their programs with the highest professional standards. Research into treatment outcomes and evidence based practices is a strong value.

Founded in 1998, the NCTTP currently has 34 member organizations in 15 states and the District of Columbia. Lin Piwowarczyk, M.D., M.P.H., of the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights in Boston, Massachusettes, currently serves as NCTTP President.

Funding for the NCTTP comes from membership dues, donations, and grants. Significant funding for individual programs comes from grants from the federal Office of Refugee Resettlement and the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture through the U.S. Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998. The United Nations Voluntary Fund is also an important funder. Donations from individuals and agencies, grants from private foundations and intrastate governments, fund raising events, and some billing for insurance covered services provide additional financial support.