in the newsPhysician-Patient Communication: A study from the Center for Victims of Torture looks at why patients don't tell doctors about war trauma experiences — and why doctors don't ask. Learn more... New Bedford One Year Later: Most of those arrested in the ICE raid at a New Bedford, MA, factory last year were Guatemalan women. Ironically, their workplace produced backpacks for the U.S. military! Today, they have formed Sabiduria Oxlajúj Noj to support themselves while awaiting resolution of their asylum cases. Learn more… What do Medical Students Know about Torture? A disturbing study suggests they don’t learn much about the responsibilities of physicians during war and, if ordered to torture, some might go along. Learn more about the study, and our interview with lead author J. Wesley Boyd. |
new resourcesResources For Iraqi Refugees: Human Rights First has launched a resource page for Iraqi refugees in the region, and for their family members or friends in the U.S. |
caring for survivors of torture
It’s estimated that more than 500,000 immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the United States have been victims of politically motivated torture. They come here from Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia — some legally, some undocumented, some with families and some very much alone. They live in major American cities and in small towns. Some survivors bear visible scars, but many more have been wounded in ways that remain hidden. Throughout the United States, healthcare and social service professionals and students have mobilized to respond to their needs.
The Refuge Media Project was created by filmmakers, health educators, and human rights activists concerned about this issue. We are producing a half-hour documentary on immigrant torture survivors in the United States, and on some of the individuals and organizations who are working to help survivors deal with their traumatic pasts, and with the sometimes traumatic experience of coming to America. Learn more about this project…
We need your support! Our work cannot continue without your help. Please make a tax-deductible contribution today through our fiscal sponsor, The Center for Independent Documentary. Donate now!
international
human rights day...
The Refuge Media Project website was launched on December 10, 2007, recognized throughout the world as International Human Rights Day. On this day in 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 5 of the Declaration states, for the first time in an internationally recognized agreement, that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
What you can do...
Download our one-sheet listing some things that everyone can do to help support The Refuge Media Project. Share it with your friends and colleagues. Get in touch with us if you have other ideas or would like further information. Visit our Resources section to find out about organizations throughout the country working to aid refugee torture survivors.
