Investigations are stalled by inaction or the complicity of the investigating body. In many countries, the public and politicians are indifferent to violence on unpopular sections of the community. Angammal and her husband Guruviah were arrested, suspected of receiving stolen property. They were beaten, apparently to extract a confession. The campaign against torture has to be led by ordinary people.
Torturers thrive on the indifference of the general public.
Gill Hinshelwood of the Medical Foundation for the Care of Torture Victims tells the story of Gloria, a teacher from Zaire, raped during the nights, beaten during the days after the military had killed her husband and daughter. Gloria felt lost and alone when she reached a place of safety, but relief kept her buoyant at first. It did not last. This is what torture does to people. A typical day in Gloria's first few months of exile demonstrates this.