In this briefing paper the APT extracts the key insights from the study it commissioned on the effectiveness of torture prevention globally, and provides further analysis on the need for a holistic approach to torture prevention and the role of monitoring bodies.
Over the past 30 years, a number of important steps have been taken to prevent torture and ill-treatment around the world. There has been, however, very little research into the effectiveness of these efforts.
In 2012, the APT therefore commissioned an independent, in-depth research to address the question: Does Torture Prevention Work? For the first time, a team of researchers under the lead of Dr Richard Carver and Dr Lisa Handley studied the impact of torture prevention measures over three decades. The results, published in 2016, include 14 country studies. The research confirms for the first time in a global quantitative and qualitative study that torture prevention works, and provides us with a better understanding of which measures are the most effective in reducing the risks of torture.
