T he Torture Survivors Network is a forum for the survivors' voices, for sharing information between treatment centers and professionals, for those interested in starting a program in their own community, and for the general public. We get many phone calls from survivors who wish to talk and to whom we give referrals of centers and therapists, but we do not think it appropriate to gude them through the process of writing their stories. So, we do hope therapists will take advantage of this avenue. They are journalists, lawyers, students, unionists, doctors, nurses, professors, judges, ethnic communities, farmers, ministers, mayors, and business people. They are us.
Survivors are people who are remarkable for their inner strength.
While surviving inhumane ordeals, they are still able to have the fortitude and the ingenuity to reach a safe haven to seek help. Families of the abused are no less survivors, suffering from the emotional, physical, and mental trauma related to the torture of their loved ones plus the psychological harm caused by living in a state of terror-imposed silence. Trust underlies all the professional skills necessary to heal. Their torturers also deliberately tried to destroy their dignity and self-respect in the effort to intimidate their neighbors and communities. Come journey with us, we'll show you how.