International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims
The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) is an independent, global organization based in Copenhagen , which was founded in 1985 by the well-known Danish doctor and Ai activist Inge Genefke and her colleagues.
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The IRCT has set itself the task of supporting aid organizations and individuals around the world in the fight against torture . It primarily focuses on three goals:
- Supporting torture victims and their families with medical and psychological approaches to their rehabilitation
- legal support for victims of torture and the legal prosecution of the perpetrators
- Torture prevention
The IRCT has developed into an international umbrella organization for the support of victims of torture with currently more than 140 member organizations in over 70 countries and works closely with the UN Committee against Torture . In addition to supporting work, the organization provides information on the subject of torture and its prevention and sends observers or its own experts to international congresses and meetings. In addition, she advises partner organizations in countries where cases of torture have been detected on setting up local centers and networks. The IRCT works closely with the Rehabilitation and Research Center for Torture Victims (RCT), which is also based in Copenhagen, and its documentation center 'RCT Documentation Center', the world's largest thematic collection of documents such as articles, books, testimonials, letters or CD-ROMs.
The IRCT is headed today by Inge Genefke's successor, the Swedish lawyer Brita Sydhoff, as General Secretary, who heads an international team.