Modern Torture
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations in 1948 states in Article 5 that "No one shall be subjected to torture, or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment."
Yet, almost fifty years after the declaration, physical and psychological abuse of men, women, and children around the world continues unabated and is often ignored. Prevalence data, collected by international organizations, suggests that systematic torture is practiced in some 65 countries worldwide (Amnesty International, 1991). Additionally, there are credible allegations of torture in another 32 countries (A.I., 1984). Baker (1992) has suggested that, of the 23 million refugees in the ...
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of all human qualities. Torture destroys the sense of self; it confuses right and wrong; any belief in the stability of the world is taken away; "truth" becomes a word without meaning. Methods of torture are limited only by the fiendish fantasies of those whose business it is to break others down. Physical methods include beating, electric shock (especially to the genitals), stretching (as on a rack), asphyxiation techniques such as submersion in contaminated water and smothering with plastic, burning, blows to the ears, forced standing or forms of suspension, sexual assault of men and women, sometimes with trained dogs. Psychological methods include sensory deprivation, anonymity and dehumanizing experiences, exposure to the sounds/sight of others being tortured.
Physical effects are both acute and chronic. Physicians may see survivors with symptoms and disabilities related to their torture experiences. Some typical debilitating symptoms include: sleeplessness, headache, ...
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by officials often go unchecked. The PRC detains individuals for a wide variety of �radical� reasons like exercising their rights to freedom of association, religion and of expression, including the right to impart and receive information. The total number of
persons in China detained without charge, sentenced administratively to reeducation or reform camps, or held by other means, solely for peacefully exercising these rights is unknown. However, that figure is estimated to be far in excess of the approximately 3,000 individuals that the PRC currently acknowledges imprisoning for "counter-revolutionary" or political crimes. Many of those detained are held under circumstances that ...
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CITE THIS PAGE:
Modern Torture. (2004, September 21). Retrieved November 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Modern-Torture/14724
"Modern Torture." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 21 Sep. 2004. Web. 28 Nov. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Modern-Torture/14724>
"Modern Torture." Essayworld.com. September 21, 2004. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Modern-Torture/14724.
"Modern Torture." Essayworld.com. September 21, 2004. Accessed November 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Modern-Torture/14724.
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