INTRODUCTION: The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) and Restart Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of Violence and Torture (Restart) hosted a two-day conference on the right to rehabilitation for torture victims. Over 100 participants, including health and legal representatives from IRCT’s global network of torture rehabilitation centers from 44 countries, academic experts, government representatives, intergovernmental organisations and civil society, attended the conference. The main objective of the conference was twofold: firstly, to explore the ways in which rehabilitation is provided to torture victims; secondly, to consider how states can be encouraged to strengthen their implementation efforts in ensuring the provision of holistic and victim-centered rehabilitation services. The interlinked themes provided a platform to share examples of models for the delivery and funding of rehabilitation and explore ways in which rehabilitation providers and other key stakeholders can assess and evaluate the services provided in their national context. The conference also provided an important platform to address the immediate situation in the Middle East, which is facing particular challenges with regard to the provision of rehabilitation services to torture victims, many of whom are refugees from the Syrian crisis.

This report outlines the key themes discussed at the conference, including different models for delivery of rehabilitation and the challenges faced by IRCT member centers on the ground, in the context of the Committee against Torture’s General Comment No. 3 in 20121 on Article 14 of the UN Convention against Torture…