Our beneficiaries

In 2006, the IRC focused on the following target groups:

  • individuals who recently suffered from torture and mistreatment during their detention in police departments.
  • traumatized refugees from various conflict/war zones.
  • soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces.
  • wives, children and other household members of torture survivors.
  • victims of torture and cruel treatment from the past (victims of Stalin and Nazi regimes).

(1) Individuals who recently suffered from torture and mistreatment during their detention in police departments. Support was provided to 29 clients, including 16 primary victims (15 men, 14 women). New clients in 2006: 25.

Most abuses by law-enforcement officials such as procedural violations, psychological and physical harassment, and torture occur during arrest, custody in police stations, and during pre-trial and administrative detention. The most commonly used methods of torture are slonik (suffocating of detainee by using a gas mask), lastochka (binding the hands behind the back and tightening them with the foot, arching the body), falanga (beating on the sole of the foot), beating on the kidneys, on the head covered by a book, electric shocks, and "routine" beatings with fists, feet, and batons. Special militia units (Berkut) reportedly beat and torture inmates as part of regular training exercise; there are several allegations (but no official statistics) of deaths in police stations or after arrest and custody in police stations. There is no effective mechanism for registering complaints about mistreatment or for obtaining redress for such actions, neither through official channels nor through reporting by human rights NGOs. Local human rights groups and medical NGOs lack training in documenting/reporting torture and ill-treatment.

(2) Traumatized refugees from various conflict/war zones. Help was provided to 137 refugees and asylum seekers, 116 primary and 21 secondary victims (76 men, 61 women). New clients in 2006: 137.

Ukraine is a transit zone for many refugees. While there are no official figures, data collected by the UNHCR show that the main refugee groups are from Africa and Asia, especially from conflict/war zones such as Afghanistan and Chechnya. It is very important to evaluate the degree of social adaptation and the future plans of refugees. This target group has no legal rights, is harassed by the police, suffers from social isolation, and has no access to medical and social care.

(3) Soldiers of the Ukrainian armed forces. IRC provided support to 19 clients, 11 primary and 8 secondary victims (11 men, 8 women). New clients in 2006: 17.

The Ukrainian army is a traditional zone of brutality and torture that affects army servicemen, a tradition inherited from the USSR Army that has its special name ("dedovshina") and is observed only among rank and file soldiers who are drafted as recruits. Publications in Ukrainian mass media have been constantly investigating cases of major violence and torture in the Army; this is also confirmed by numerous appeals to the Soldiers' Mothers Committee of Ukraine and other NGOs. Lack of serious civil control of the Ukrainian Army favours existence of "dedovshina" as a system of relationship in military quarters. Furthermore, the non-existence of a protection program for witnesses in Ukrainian law enforcement causes mass reluctance of soldiers to inform about facts of crime known to them. The existence of special departmental military prosecution offices and courts favours impunity of individuals who are guilty of cruel treatment, brutality and torture.

(4) Wives, children and other household members of torture survivors. Support was provided to 64 secondary victims.

Wives, children and other household relatives of torture survivors do not seek help frequently. However, it is important to integrate these groups into the rehabilitation as they are potential victims of secondary traumatization and often suffer from additional psychological symptoms.

(5) Victims of torture and cruel treatment from the past (victims of Stalin and Nazi regimes). IRC provided support to 155 clients, 133 primary and 22 secondary victims (55 men, 100 women). New clients in 2006: 17 clients.

(6) Politicians, the police staff, penitentiary staff, lawyers, physicians, sociologists, psychologists, pedagogues, the mass media, NGO's and the public.

IRC carried out seven workshops in 2006. There were 141 participants in the workshops. The IRC published and distributed 1000 copies of the journal Socio-psychological and Medical Aspects of Cruelty #1-2 (5-6) 2006 as well as 1000 copies of The Torture Reporting Handbook by Camille Giffard. The journal and book were distributed all over the NIS region.