FOREWORD: It was in this spirit that the world commemorated the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on 26 June 2016. Under our new slogan “Support Life After Torture”, 90 organisations and many other stakeholders, marked the day through a diverse mix of events. Side-by-side refugees and professional actors performed theatre pieces on topics such as birth, violence and torture in conflict zones; organisations shared their messages in public spaces and raised awareness about torture and rehabilitation through exhibitions and marches; while some victims told their stories at events and through images and text. This year, the IRCT secured the global rights to ‘The Look of Silence’, an Oscar-nominated film by director Joshua Oppenheimer, and organisations around the world held screenings and post-film discussions.

Together with 18 member centres, the IRCT launched reports recommending concrete action to implement the right to rehabilitation in the European Union and seven countries in other regions of the world. The IRCT also issued a joint statement with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights calling on states in the Americas to make redress and rehabilitation a political and budgetary priority.

Advocating for change and holding states accountable is a key element of 26 June. Since 1998, the IRCT has provided support to people and organisations around the world to commemorate the day under a specific campaign theme each year, which was supported by case-specific materials. This year, we have taken a more inclusive, participatory and visual approach by developing an overall slogan and visual identity and inviting those taking action to promote their local issues as part of our global call to Support Life After Torture. We look forward to developing this further to ensure that every year more organisations and individuals can recognise their voice in the global message.

This year’s commemoration was truly global and reflected a multitude of actions taken to support victims. In this report, we present a snapshot of the global activities and the many innovative commemorations that took place. We hope that this will inspire more of you to join us and to Support Life After Torture, today, tomorrow and on 26 June 2017.