The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) requested the Institute for Medicine and Human Rights to conduct a fact-finding survey to investigate the conditions of torture victims in a period of 7 months from March to July this year. The purpose of the survey was to raise public awareness on the intensity of torture victims’ suffering, to encourage the government to join and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT), and to develop a policy for the elimination of torture and the support for torture victims.
The researchers questionnaired 213 torture victims and 10 family members and conducted in-depth interviews with 24 torture victims, focusing on identifying the effects of torture and conditions of torture victims. The survey results revealed largely four different types of torture: Physical Torture, psychological Torture, deprivation, and exposure. It revealed that approximately 60 per cent of respondents were experiencing severe economic difficulties, and 76.5 per cent claimed to have experienced the post traumatic stress disorder. Furthermore, the survey found out that 24.2 per cent had attempted to commit suicide.
The NHRCK will endeavor to raise public awareness on the severity of torture sufferings and to establish a support system for rehabilitation and treatment for torture victims. The Commission will share the survey results with relevant governmental agencies, torture victims, NGOs, academics, medial and legal experts in order to develop a policy recommendation for the elimination of torture and the human rights protection for torture victims.
