June 26th marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, a date designated by the United Nations to remember and reaffirm our commitment to eradicate this cruel violation of human rights. This day invites us to reflect on the terrible consequences of torture and to stand in solidarity with victims, while committing ourselves to promoting justice and preventing future acts of torture around the world.
The International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is an opportunity to give a voice to those who have suffered torture and abuse, as well as to honour the courage of those who have survived these atrocities. It seeks to raise awareness of the need to protect and rehabilitate victims, and to hold perpetrators of these inhumane acts accountable.
Torture is one of the most serious violations of human rights, and its prohibition is enshrined in numerous international treaties and conventions. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states that “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”. Yet despite these universal principles, torture persists in many parts of the world, affecting people of all ages, genders and backgrounds.
The physical and psychological after-effects of torture are devastating and long-lasting. Victims may suffer severe injuries, physical disabilities, emotional trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and other long-term consequences. Torture affects not only the individuals directly involved, but also their families and communities, creating a cycle of suffering and mistrust.
On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, it is crucial to highlight the importance of rehabilitation for victims. Adequate medical, psychological and social care is essential to help heal physical and emotional wounds, and to promote the reintegration of individuals into society. Furthermore, it is imperative that those responsible for torture are brought to justice and held accountable for their actions. Impunity only perpetuates violence and injustice.
The prevention of torture is a fundamental objective to ensure a world free from this atrocity. Governments, human rights organisations and civil society must work together to promote human rights education, strengthen protection and monitoring mechanisms, and ensure effective implementation of international laws and standards. The eradication of torture requires constant commitment and the collaborators of all actors involved.
On this occasion, it seems pertinent to recall Silo’s words when – in the Days of Spiritual Inspiration held in the middle of the Andes Mountains – he said: “In those painful relationships we have suffered, we are not trying to forgive or be forgiven. Forgiveness demands that one of the parties stands on a higher moral plane and that the other party humbles itself before the one who forgives. And it is clear that forgiveness is a step further than revenge, but not as far as reconciliation.
Nor are we trying to forget grievances that have occurred. It is not the case of trying to falsify memory. It is the case of trying to understand what happened in order to enter into the higher step of reconciliation. Nothing good is achieved personally or socially by forgetting or forgiving – neither forgetting nor forgiving! for the mind must remain fresh and attentive without dissimulation or falsification. We are now considering the most important point of Reconciliation which admits of no adulteration. If we seek sincere reconciliation with ourselves and with those who have hurt us intensely, it is because we want a profound transformation of our life. A transformation that removes it from the resentment in which, in the end, no one is reconciled with anyone, not even with himself. When we come to understand that in our interior does not dwell an enemy but a being full of hopes and failures, a being in whom we see in a short succession of images, beautiful moments of plenitude and moments of frustration and resentment. When we come to understand that our enemy is a being who also lived with hopes and failures, a being in whom there were beautiful moments of fulfilment and moments of frustration and resentment, we will be putting a humanising look on the skin of monstrosity.
This path to reconciliation does not emerge spontaneously, just as the path to non-violence does not emerge spontaneously. For both require a great deal of understanding and the formation of a physical repugnance for violence.
We will not be the ones to judge the errors, our own or others’, for that will be human retribution and human justice and it will be the height of the times that will exercise its dominion, because I do not want to judge myself or judge… I want to understand in profundity in order to cleanse my mind of all resentment.
To reconcile is not to forget or to forgive, it is to recognise all that has happened and it is to propose to get out of the circle of resentment. It is to look around and recognise the mistakes in oneself and in others. To reconcile within oneself is to resolve not to go down the same path twice, but to be ready to make double reparation for the damage done. But it is clear that we cannot request those who have offended us to make double reparation for the damage they have done to us. However, it is a good task to make them see the chain of damage they are carrying in their lives. In doing so, we reconcile with the one we have previously felt as an enemy, even if this does not bring the other to reconcile with us, but that is already part of the fate of their actions over which we cannot decide.
We are saying that reconciliation is not reciprocal between people and also that reconciliation with oneself does not result in others breaking out of their vicious circle, although the social benefits of such an individual stance can be recognised”.
On the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, let us renew our commitment to fight this human rights violation and support those who have suffered its terrible consequences. We raise our voices in solidarity with victims, promoting reconciliation, justice, rehabilitation and torture prevention around the world. Together, we can build a future where the dignity and integrity of every individual is respected.
