Oltre la Tortura (Beyond Torture)

Aldo Morrone (a cura di)
OLTRE LA TORTURA
Percorsi di accoglienza con rifugiati e vittime di tortura
(BEYOND TORTURE. Refugees and victims of torture reception service)
Magi Edizioni
Rome, 2008
(In Italian)

In many countries of the world a systematic violation of human rights takes place and an example of this is the practice of torture. International constitutions and legislations condemn it. Torture is prohibited but is not prevented: it is still an ongoing malpractice.
Since 1985, in the Department of Preventive Medicine of Migration, Tourism and Tropical Dermatology of San Gallicano Institute in Rome tens of thousands of documented and undocumented migrants from more than 150 countries worldwide have been received and treated.
In the Institute a service has been set for the reception, treatment and psychological counselling of asylum seekers, refugees and victims of torture.
Here, a high qualified team receives the victims of torture: doctors, anthropologists, psychologists, sociologists, psychiatrists, lawyers and cultural mediators.
The service adopts a multidisciplinary and trans-cultural approach and it demonstrates expertise and empathy by taking care of these people. It provides information, medical examinations, psychological counselling, social and legal advice by networking with relevant Italian structures. It also prepares the application dossier for the asylum request.
This book describes the creation and functioning of this service, the collected case histories, the provided therapies and some of the most significant personal histories. For the first time the National Health Service takes care of patients and carries out studies and scientific research on migrants’ reception and psychological and social rehabilitation of refugees and victims of torture.
The choice of admitting and taking care of these people was strongly opposed, but it is a sign of respect and a duty provided by art. 32 of Italian Constitution: “The Republic safeguards health as a fundamental right of the individual and as a collective interest, and guarantees free medical care to the poor”.