[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 156 (Wednesday, December 7, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           TORTURE VICTIMS RELIEF REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. SUSAN A. DAVIS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 6, 2005

  Mrs. DAVIS of California. Mr. Speaker, as the House stands poised to 
consider and pass H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization 
Act of 2005 (TVRA), I want to express my strong support for this 
legislation. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2017. I want to take 
this opportunity to recognize the efforts of Survivors of Torture, 
International (SURVIVORS) in my district of San Diego, California. 
SURVIVORS is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring 
for survivors of politically-motivated torture and their families who 
live in San Diego County.
  San Diego is home to the busiest land border crossing in the world. 
According to conservative estimates based on International Red Cross 
Red Crescent Societies' extrapolations of the percentage of torture 
survivors among refugees from countries where the use of systematic 
torture is documented, approximately 11,000 torture survivors are 
living in San Diego County today. They are from countries where the use 
of systematic torture is documented, including countries in Africa, 
Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.
  Since 1997, SURVIVORS has helped more than 500 torture survivors from 
more than 40 countries to recover from their traumas through a holistic 
program including medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, legal 
and social services. SURVIVORS empowers torture survivors to reclaim 
the strength and vitality that were stolen from them by brutal 
dictators and governments. The specialized care SURVIVORS provides 
these vulnerable individuals helps them to become self-sufficient and 
healthy members of their families and of our community. SURVIVORS 
currently serves approximately 200 survivors of torture and their 
families in San Diego County.
  Mr. Speaker, SURVIVORS works with refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, 
and immigrants who are survivors of torture. By working with this large 
population in San Diego County, SURVIVORS is strengthening the nation: 
many of its clients move to other communities in the United States 
after receiving the care and services necessary to successfully build a 
new life here. As SURVIVORS continues to work in the community, it 
receives an increasing number of referrals and requests for services 
each year. There is also a need to continue making services even more 
comprehensive.
  The professional background of SURVIVORS' clients include: business, 
religious, government, and farm leaders; university students and 
educators; journalists; physicians and nurses. They are talented, 
trained, productive people who feel destroyed. Torturers today are able 
to create conditions which effectively break down the victim's 
personality, identity, and his/her ability to live a full life later. 
At SURVIVORS and groups like it across the nation, these individuals 
find help to begin reclaiming their lives.
  The significant majority of SURVIVORS clients in San Diego suffer 
from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, or 
both. The worst consequences of torture are psychological ``sequelae.'' 
These are normal yet disabling reactions for ordinary people who have 
endured the extreme trauma of torture.
  People are referred to programs like SURVIVORS through a variety of 
sources, including: religious and community-based social service 
organizations, refugee resettlement organizations, immigration 
attorneys, public health care providers, schools, individuals in the 
community, and other torture survivors.
  Mr. Speaker, the TVRA provides funds for torture treatment centers in 
the U.S. through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Currently, 
27 programs in 17 states receive assistance through ORR. The treatment 
provided by these programs enables survivors of torture to recover 
their lives and become productive members of their communities. Many of 
these centers also train mainstream organizations and personnel. This 
increases the ability of health care providers, schools and other 
institutions to provide for the special needs of torture victims and 
contribute to the prevention of torture.
  Since 2000, SURVIVORS has received the bulk of its funding from TVRA 
through ORR; and almost two-thirds of SURVIVORS' current financial 
support is funded through an ORR grant. TVRA provides funds for foreign 
treatment centers through the U.S. Agency for International Development 
(USAID). In some cases, direct investment by the U.S. in torture 
rehabilitation centers provides important political support and 
protection, especially when the local embassy, Members of Congress and 
other American leaders visit these centers. SURVIVORS also receives 
funding to provide technical assistance and build the capacity of NGOs 
in Mexico that provide services to survivors of torture.
  Mr. Speaker, TVRA also authorizes a contribution to the United 
Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT). Funding from 
the U.N. helps many centers feel more secure in the dangerous work of 
aiding torture survivors that a regime has identified as its enemies. 
The UNVFVT supports nearly 200 treatment programs spanning 70 
countries, including nearly all U.S. centers. This funding is also 
vital to groups like SURVIVORS for direct programs.
  In conclusion Mr. Speaker, the TVRA is a vital piece of legislation 
which funds essential services for survivors of torture throughout the 
53rd District of California and San Diego County, and enhances the 
standing and reputation by exporting America's values in the form of 
support for foreign treatment centers. I strongly urge my colleagues to 
join me in supporting this bill that is so important to so many.

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