Welcome to the October 2024 issue of CVT World, CVT’s periodic compilation of the latest news, stories and public activities from our team.

Commentary: Violence and Humanitarian Crisis Worsen in the Congo

“Attacks are not only getting worse, they seem to be built-in to the military tactics of some predatory armed groups,” said Dr. Simon Adams, president & CEO, in this article in the New York Sun by Hollie McKay. He comments on how more than 7.3 million people have been displaced in the Congo, and that the UN and the government “have both failed to adequately protect civilians from predatory armed groups and various marauding armed forces.”

Being Raised by a Torture Victim: How Trauma Can Impact Future Generations

In honor of Latine Heritage Month, we published this article by Lola Méndez, a contributing writer who examines the impacts of intergenerational trauma. Raised by a father who fled torture in Uruguay, she writes about her inherited trauma but also her inherited strength and resilience: “Being the child of a torture survivor has made me empathetic and determined to do everything I can to stand up against injustice.”

“Being the child of a torture survivor has made me empathetic and determined to do everything I can to stand up against injustice.”

Lola Méndez, contributing writer

New Report on Transitional Justice Cites CVT

The International Center for Transitional Justice published this report titled “‘The Search for People’s Well-Being’: Mainstreaming a Psychosocial Approach to Transitional Justice.” The authors quote CVT staff including Dr. Shannon Golden, evaluation & research lead, and Veronica Laveta, clinical advisor for mental health, and make multiple citations to CVT’s therapeutic documentation manual: “Therapeutic Documentation: Integrating Documentation and Therapy After Violations of Human Rights.”

Seminar on Addressing Sexual Violence in Conflict Settings

Wala’a Awwad, physiotherapist/trainer, Randa Haifawi, psychotherapist/trainer, and Sara Pearce, clinical advisor for mental health, all with the Regional Office in Amman, participated in developing and speaking about a pilot module for the Geneva Centre of Humanitarian Studies, Université de Genève, titled “Across Continents: Male Survivors of CRSV Reclaim Voices.” This was part of the center’s Executive Short Course called “Addressing Sexual Violence in Conflict and Emergency Settings,” which is designed for managers in humanitarian fields, supporting their understanding of and approach to sexual violence prevention and response in conflict and emergency settings. Check out details here on LinkedIn.

An Ending to Great Work, Room for Even More: CVT Ethiopia-Amhara’s Alemwach Site Closure

As CVT’s program at Alemwach comes to a close, the CVT Ethiopia team comments on the care that clients received over nearly two years in the community. “We provide very compassionate and quality care, and they were saying that life will not be the same when CVT is not around,” said Alemu Lemma, CVT’s Amhara area manager. Read the article here.

We provide very compassionate and quality care, and they were saying that life will not be the same when CVT is not around.”

Alemu Lemma, Amhara area manager

A New Space for Children at CVT Jordan

New! Click here to see the new children’s room at our CVT Jordan clinic. The new space features activities, toys, bright colors, games, balloons and lots of space for healing. Shaymaa Abu Sabra, site coordinator, and Rula Mughrabi, finance manager, consulted with clinical colleagues and then took the lead in design and implementation of the welcoming new space

Opinion Article: “Counterterrorism Copy Cats”

There is no good way for the United States to promote democracy and human rights abroad while it remains a model for a militarized counterterrorism-based foreign policy.”

Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst, and Sarah Yager, Human Rights Watch

“There is no good way for the United States to promote democracy and human rights abroad while it remains a model for a militarized counterterrorism-based foreign policy,” write co-authors Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst, and Sarah Yager, Washington director at Human Rights Watch, in this op ed in LawFare. They write about how the United States’ response to 9/11 has been used by other countries to justify their own counterterrorism measures, noting that, “The United States has not reckoned with its excesses of force and abuses, and much of the abusive counterterrorism playbook remains in use as official U.S. policy.”

On the Ground with ‘Wounded Healers’ in Ethiopia

As Simon Adams visited colleagues and our centers in Ethiopia, he shared photos and updates on social media. Elana Schwartzman, head of audience engagement, published this article showcasing Simon’s travels and photos with the team. Simon said, “I never cease to be inspired by the resilience and professionalism of these CVT Ethiopia teams.”

Tele-Mental Health Training and Support for Survivors and Activists

This article highlights the work of Noor Al-Sagher, tele-mental health trainer and therapist in CVT’s Amman Regional Office. Noor provides training and support to human rights defenders from a variety of countries, backgrounds and situations. She notes the importance of this support for people who are working hard to help others, saying “Most activists are focusing on the needs of the beneficiaries they’re helping, but not really paying attention to their own needs.”

Most activists are focusing on the needs of the beneficiaries they’re helping, but not really paying attention to their own needs.”

Noor Al-Sagher, tele-mental health trainer & therapist

Commentary: UN General Assembly and the Role of the Security Council

As the UN General Assembly gets underway in New York, Simon Adams spoke to CNA about the challenges and criticism the UN is facing during times of ongoing conflict in the world. Simon commented, “The fact that the Security Council is unable to have any meaningful role in solving the four biggest conflicts in the world at the moment – Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and Sudan – casts a dark shadow over the entire UN and causes people to lose faith in the future of the UN.”

The fact that the Security Council is unable to have any meaningful role in solving the four biggest conflicts in the world at the moment – Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar and Sudan – casts a dark shadow over the entire UN and causes people to lose faith in the future of the UN.”

Dr. Simon Adams, CVT president & CEO

Radio Panel Commentary Ahead of UN General Assembly

As the UN General Assembly neared, Simon Adams also spoke on the Australian public radio program, “Saturday Extra with Fran Kelly,” along with Gary Quinlan, former Australian representative on the UN Security Council and former ambassador to the UN. Simon spoke about the role of the UN Security Council and proposed UN reforms. Simon noted that “we’re in a very different world now,” mentioning the major conflicts today. He said “The Security Council is unable, completely unable, to play any kind of meaningful role in any of those.” Listen to the full episode here.

Working in Coalition with Partners

Working with partners brings strength to CVT’s policy advocacy. In recent weeks, we participated in numerous actions that support survivors of torture. Below are some of these coalition and partner actions.

• CVT joined this letter to members of the Biden administration, expressing outrage at recent comments from elected officials that denigrate the Haitian immigrant community living in Springfield, Ohio, and calling for actions to protect Haitian immigrants in the United States. The authors comment on Haitians’ long history of supporting the United States, going back to the American Revolution when they contributed to the fight for U.S. independence. The authors write, “Today, just as Haiti stood for freedom and justice, we must now stand with them by upholding international human rights standards, providing safety, and ensuring their dignity is protected.”
• CVT joined humanitarian NGOs and human rights organizations in this statement calling on the Biden-Harris administration to implement a humanitarian reset in Gaza. After the U.S. put policies in place (National Security Memorandum 20) to ensure humanitarian access to Gaza, organizations report “that access in Gaza remains arbitrarily denied, restricted, and impeded by Israel and conditions have markedly worsened since May.” The authors write: “The status quo in Gaza is unconscionable for two million civilians who are enduring one of the worst humanitarian catastrophes of this century.” This action was covered here on ReliefWeb.
• CVT endorsed the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2024 and joined civil society organizations in this letter to President Biden, calling on him to restore funding to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), funding which was paused in January 2024. Calling UNRWA the “backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza,” the authors write: “With the situation nearing its one-year mark, the needs are even greater as the risk of famine and disease mount.” The letter and action were covered here by DAWN MENA. Read Congressman André Carson’s press release here.
• CVT joined coalition partners in signing this letter opposing the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act (HR 9495). The authors specifically object to language that would grant wide discretion to the secretary of treasury, writing that the “executive branch would be handed a tool it could use to curb free speech, censor nonprofit media outlets, target political opponents, and punish disfavored groups across the political spectrum.”