In this week's episode of ER , doctors discover that a Nigerian couple have been the victims of torture. As many as 400,000 survivors of torture have fled their countries to live in the United States, which means that it s quite possible that in our daily lives, any of us may interact with torture survivors. The following information was provided by Dr. Keller and Amnesty International.
Torture refers to an act resulting in severe suffering, either physical or psychological or both.
Torture is inflicted by somebody acting in an official capacity, such as a government official or a police officer, whose purpose is to intimidate, coerce, or punish people for their activities. Repressive governments use torture against individuals, such as political and religious leaders, judges, journalists, educators and health professionals, as well as whole communities, in order to terrorize and control them. Today, torture is used throughout the world for various purposes. Torture practices have been documented in more than 90 countries around the world. Every day, people in these countries continue to face the risk tortured.