California Torture Treatment Centers Launch Awareness Campaign

“Torture treatment centers across the state are joining to raise awareness about torture survivors living in California. The campaign starts today and will culminate on June 26, the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The U.S. government estimates that 500,000 torture survivors live in the United States. University of the Pacific’s School of International Studies in Stockton, Calif. is in the process of developing baseline population data for torture survivors in California. The research will be conducted under the supervision of Professor Jean-Marie Stratigos, a former United Nations humanitarian affairs officer. ‘Survivors are a hidden population in our state and many obstacles prevent them from receiving adequate healthcare,” said Kathi Anderson, executive director of Survivors of Torture, International. “We hope that this campaign will build knowledge among both medical professionals and the general public’. “