Refuge: Caring for survivors of torture

It has been estimated that as many as 500,000 to a million immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in the United States have been victims of politically motivated torture. They come here from Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southeast Asia — some legally, some undocumented, some with families and some very much alone. They live in major American cities and in small towns. Some survivors bear visible scars, but many more have been wounded in ways that remain hidden. Throughout the United States, healthcare and social service professionals and students have mobilized to respond to their needs. REFUGE documents the work of five treatment programs, in four metropolitan areas – programs that offer compassionate care to survivors needing health, mental health, and social services. Through the moving stories of nine survivors (out of more than 20 interviewed) as well as the physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists who work with them, audiences will get a vivid picture of this hidden crisis. REFUGE, along with the wealth of other media and print resources being developed with it, will increase public awareness and understanding of the situations of torture survivors and their families; help providers recognize torture survivors among their immigrant clients; demonstrate ways that providers can effectively confront the issues that are unique to immigrant torture survivors; and motivate, inspire and empower clinicians and students to meet the needs of this growing and increasingly vulnerable population.