International Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims — IRCT, Zagreb
Address
IRCT Zagreb Međunarodni centar za rehabilitaciju
Draškovićeva 53/2nd floor
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Phone: +385 1 46 13 492
Fax: +385 1 46 13 492
E-mail: irct-zg@zg.tel.hr
žrtava mučenja - Zagreb
Draškovićeva 53/2nd floor
10000 Zagreb
Croatia
Tel./Fax: +385 1 46 13 492
E-mail: irct-zg@zg.tel.hr
International Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims – IRCT, Zagreb was founded in 1993 as a non-profit multicultural NGO under auspices of IRCT Copenhagen and since 1997 it is functioning independently as non-profit NGO with highly professional staff.
The war in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina brought a need for organised psychosocial and medical care for refugees and displaced persons, which was answered by foundation of IRCT Zagreb. Among the 3000 refugees and their families about 20% victims of torture and their families were identified. After that, the victims of torture and their families became our greatest concern in psychological, medical and social context.
The existence of the Centre has, among other benefits, helped to avoid the stigmatisation of torture victims as psychiatric patients. Most of the centre’s clients suffered a series of traumatic experiences during the war, and shows normal reactions to abnormal experiences and situations. It is widely accepted that this group needs special care. Currently, special attention is being given to the direct assistance in medical, legal and financial support to those victims of torture and their families who are making the necessary steps towards their permanent return to their country of origin.
The rehabilitation activities of the Centre have taken place in Zagreb and the surrounding area. Approximately 1,000 clients - victims of torture and their family members - have benefited from the services each year.
Clients of the IRCT, Zagreb in 2002
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Objectives of IRCT, Zagreb
The primary objectives of IRCT Zagreb are to:
- provide early identification, treatment, and rehabilitation of victims of torture and members of their families;
- offer education and training programmes for professionals and non-professionals who have no knowledge about the consequences of torture in Croatia;
- monitor and document the physical and mental health of torture survivors;
- conduct research and publish research data;
- advocate for the prevention of torture;
- advocacy for human rights issues;
- collaboration with institutions which work in the same field.
Activities:
1. Early identification of torture victims and treatment
IRCT, Zagreb implements continuous screening in the field, which has resulted in large number of registered torture victims and members of their families since the beginning of the war in the Croatia and later in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The objective of the treatment is to rehabilitate and reintegrate torture victims into society in order for them to have control over and take responsibility for their own lives.
Treatment was divided in three categories: psychological help, medical help and social help. Psychological help includes crisis intervention, counselling, as well as group and individual psychotherapy. The psychotherapeutic work aims to restore the human dignity of the torture victims, to establish self-esteem and self-confidence, and to assist them in reaching appropriate decisions about repatriation. The final phase of the rehabilitation process includes visits to the previous place of residence in the country of origin of the victims accompanied with the professionals.
Medical treatment includes medical consultations and medical advice and organising medical services in other institutions. The social help focuses on the clients’ social safety. IRCT staff identifies the employment status, mediates contacts with the relevant (governmental and non-governmental) organisations, provides administrative assistance related to the social status, new passports, visas, etc., and informs the clients about the social and legal institutions and procedures. Some clients are referred to other humanitarian organisations and NGOs, which offer help in specific needs.
2. Prevention and training
The training of IRCT Zagreb addresses both professionals and non-professionals about the consequences of torture. The Centre organises educational seminars and international conferences. By now, about 200 individuals participated in training on rehabilitation work and advocacy on torture victims. On the bases of questionnaire evaluation of the seminar future ones are being planned.
IRCT Zagreb efforts in the field of torture prevention include training and various activities for raising the public awareness on the issues of torture. The Centre participates in media presentations (radio broadcasts, articles, interviews), International conferences and congresses, campaigns for the UN Day in support of victims of torture, as well as posters and post-cards in own production. IRCT afternoons (specialised films, open communication, discussions and literature) are designed for volunteers, activists and donors who support the Centres’ activities.
Research
Research can be divided into three parts – first one is a general monitoring of all the rehabilitation activities of the Centre. The second focuses on study in the group, starting with individual characteristic of clients (psychological mindedness and object-relation questionnaire). The third part of the research covers specific features and follow up studies, like for instance: “Psychosocial survey of former torture victims who have resettled in their homes in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, Roma children etc.
Documentation and information
Monitoring system over the physical and mental health of torture survivors has been developed. The aim of monitoring is to follow the improvement resulting from treatment. At this point, all individual levels are being monitored, for example clinical status, trauma consequences, personality growth and changes, as well as healing processes in general.
IRCT Zagreb provides information about its work to interested governmental and non-governmental institutions. Advocacy on torture issues is realised through media and publication activities.
Networking and funding
IRCT Zagreb collaborates with both governmental and non-governmental organisations working in the field. The Centre co-operates with member centres of BA.N (Balkan Network for the Rehabilitation of the Torture Victims) and IRCT Copenhagen.
IRCT was funded by the European Union, the UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, the Swedish International Development Co-operative Authority, Canadian embassy and Australian embassy in Zagreb. Other small grants from the local institutions cover expenses for publishing of printed material in Croatian language .
Staff
IRCT Zagreb staff consists of one medical director, one project co-ordinator, three psychotherapists, psychologists, one research psychologist, one supervisor, one medical doctor, social worker, and one secretary.
Future plans
The future plans are connected with implementation of the ideas: how to facilitate the life during the repatriation process; how to make the partnership with important persons in pre-war places; how to make a good reconciliation process during the demanding time of resettlement, how to present human rights issue with children and adults, how to make the real picture of ongoing job through follow-up studies and working on minority issue in Croatia .
IRCT Zagreb (Međunarodni Centar za liječenje žrtava mučenja) je neovisna, humanitarna i nevladina organizacija, utemeljena s namjerom da pomogne i zaštiti žrtve mučenja u Hrvatskoj. Osnivanje Centra 1993. podržala je danska organizacija IRCT (The International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims), a Centar danas djeluje kao samostalna organizacija.
Primarni ciljevi Centra su:
a) Rana identifikacija žrtava mučenja
b) Tretman i rehabilitacija žrtava mučenja i članova njihovih obitelji
c) Edukacija i programi za profesionalce i paraprofesionalce o posljedicama mučenja
d) Programi prevencije torture i područje ljudskih prava; znanstveno-istraživačka i izdavačka djelatnost.
IRCT kontinuirano provodi sistem monitoringa i evaluacije tretmana. Primarni cilj tretmana jest rehabilitacija i integracija žrtava mučenja u društvo, kako bi bili sposobni nastaviti i kontrolirati svoj život.
Tretman je podijeljen u tri kategorije: psihološku, medicinsku i socijalnu pomoć. Istraživačke aktivnosti također se sastoje od tri dijela: opći monitoring svih rehabilitacijskih aktivnosti, studije u području grupne terapije, te longitudinalno praćenje efekata tretmana.
Glavni istraživač na STOP projektu je dr.sc. Damir Ljubotina, psiholog s iskustvom u području istraživanja posljedica posttraumatskog stresa.
Ostali suradnici na projektu su:
mr. Radojka Kraljević, psiholog psihoterapeut (zamjenik glavnog istraživača)
Zdenka Pantić, psiholog psihoterapeut
dr. Vedran Bilić, psihijatar psihoterapeut
mr. Tanja Radionov, psiholog psihoterapeut
Dunja Kosanović, psiholog
Martina Mladić, apsolvent psihologije
Tomislav Bunjevac, psiholog
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
