The Medical Documentation of Torture

by Edited by Michael Peel , Vincent Iacopino

• ISBN13: 9780521117456
• ISBN10: 0521117453
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-07-30
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Until recently, almost all of the medical input to criminal and civil prosecutions relating to allegations of torture was from forensic pathologists investigating mass graves. It is now recognised, however, that witness evidence from those who survive atrocities can be supported by medical experts in documenting torture both immediately and many years after the event. As is patently evident from news coverage, the number of asylum seekers in the West fleeing persecution abroad has increased steadily and there is a real need to provide those involved in examining these individuals with a comprehensive reference source which will underpin the Istanbul Protocol and provide the academic background for bringing prosecutions against alleged torturers before the newly mandated International Criminal Court.

Table of Contents

The Problem of Torture

The Approach of International Tribunals to Medical Evidence in Cases Involving Allegations of Torture

Documenting a Well-Founded Fear: How Medical Caregivers Can Assist Torture Survivors in the Asylum Process?

Doctors and Torture Ann Somerville

Visits to Prisoners and Documentation of Torture

History Taking

The Psychological Consequences of Torture

Physical Examination Following Allegations of Recent Torture

Physical Examination for Late Signs of Torture

Examination Following Specific Forms of Torture

The Sexual Abuse of Females

Male Sexual Abuse in Detention

The Examination and Investigation of Electric Shock Injuries

Radiodiagnostic Approaches in the Documentation of Torture

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