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Description
Up to 30% of refugees worldwide are victims of torture and so are a significant portion of the refugees arriving in Greece from countries like Syria and African countries. However, and despite being part of a vulnerable group, they are not identified in time as their identification and certification requires specific expertise. Especially in cases where evidence of torture is hard to document, victims are at risk of losing access to international protection.
The project’s main goal is to support the protection of victims of torture through three complementary actions: a) the certification of victims of torture, b) the training of frontline actors, and c) raising awareness, informing and advocating.
METAdrasi is since 2013 the only actor receiving official referrals from the Asylum Service and the Reception and Identification Service, through which its experienced team to certifies victims of torture. This certification is given according to the procedure laid out in the Istanbul Protocol, and is aimed at asylum seekers, as the certificate constitutes legal proof that can be used in asylum claims. Additionally, training staff of the services involved in the asylum process constitutes an urgent need, so that the most evident cases of torture get identified immediately, and that the more complex cases are referred to METAdrasi for further investigation. The third pillar includes actions of monitoring and advocacy, with the aim to raise awareness about this particularly vulnerable group, both in the actors involved and in the general public, and to exert pressure to create an appropriate framework.
At the end of the project, 340 persons will have been certified as victims of torture, and will have access to international protection and other services. 70 workers from involved actors will also have been trained in identifying victims of torture. Finally, at least one (1) advocacy report will have been published, and one (1) awareness campaign will have taken place.
Summary of project results
The main objectives of Hope and Memory project "Identification and Certification of Victims of Torture" can be summarised into the following three -interrelated- pillars: a. the certification process itself, b. the training of the staff of institutional bodies, health bodies and Civil Society Organizations for the purpose of early diagnosis and referral of possible victims of torture and c. raising awareness, information and advocacy in order to strengthen the process of rehabilitation of victims of torture.
Starting from the first pillar of the action, namely, the project implementation period, the Organization received 665 referrals, of which 409 received certification. In order to meet the above requests, the scientific team completed the evaluation and certification process by carrying out six (6) cycles of missions to Lesvos and Thessaloniki, while at the same time all the necessary procedures were carried out for the transfer of beneficiaries from various Greek cities to Athens in order to be thoroughly evaluated.
Obtaining the certificate significantly facilitates the beneficiary''s access to medical services, contributes to the prevention of his/her psychological re-traumatization and acts as a catalyst in defending his/her right to accept the request for asylum or family reunification.
Moving on to the second pillar of the action, the interdisciplinary team - in collaboration with the Asylum Service but also with the Reception and Identification Service - organised four (4) two-day seminars, in which 246 administrative employees took part.
The primary purpose of training activities is to train the staff of state bodies and organizations with the aim of early recognition and appropriate referral of potential victims of torture.
Regarding the third pillar of the action, in June 2021, an informational action was held in Syntagma square, in which more than one hundred (100) citizens participated. Subsequently, in December 2021, the advocacy report was published in order to highlight the problematic legislative provision for the Certification of Torture Victims through public and military hospitals. Finally, detecting the huge gap in rehabilitation services for torture survivors, a network of doctors was created who offer their free services on a monthly basis, either in their private practice or in the hospital where they operate.