[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 6485]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     HONORING THE CENTER FOR VICTIMS OF TORTURE'S 30TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 12, 2015

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the Center for 
Victims of Torture (CVT), torture survivors and CVT staff and 
volunteers on the occasion of the organization's 30th anniversary. 
Since its inception in 1985, CVT has become a global leader in treating 
victims of torture here in the U.S. and around the world. CVT has 
provided life-saving mental health services and rehabilitative 
treatment to thousands of torture survivors from the Bosnian War in 
Sarajevo in Eastern Europe to the Continent of Africa from Liberia to 
Sierra Leone.
  CVT represents the best of the United States to our planet's most 
vulnerable citizens, and is one of only three healing treatment centers 
in the world. The professionals who care for torture survivors 
represent hope and dignity for thousands of people from more than 60 
countries around the globe.
  In 1985, CVT set forth on a mission to extend interdisciplinary care 
to torture survivors in Minnesota, and over the years expanded those 
services to countries around the world, with healing centers today in 
Ethiopia, Jordan, Kenya and Uganda. The work has grown to include 
training professionals in the United States and international locations 
in the specialized rehabilitation skills needed for people suffering 
the post-traumatic effects of torture, and also to advocating for human 
rights and put an end to torture practices.
  For the past three decades, CVT has helped more than 30,000 survivors 
reclaim their lives. Through combined direct services, capacity 
building and policy advocacy work, CVT has touched the lives of more 
than 50,000 survivors and approximately 100,000 of their family 
members.
  CVT was instrumental in helping Congress to pass the original Torture 
Victims Relief Act in 1998, which authorizes federal funding for 
torture survivor rehabilitation programs in the U.S. and abroad.
  Mr. Speaker, on May 14, 2015, the Center for Victims of Torture 
commemorates 30 years of helping torture survivors rebuild their lives 
and restore their hope. It is a great honor to work with CVT and its 
dedicated staff and volunteers. Please join me in paying tribute to the 
Center for Victims of Torture and its distinguished commitment to 
providing healing and hope to those who most need it.

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