CVT has just been through the darkest weeks in our 40-year history. Beginning January 24, CVT was forced by the U.S. government to halt our operations in the large majority of our international programs, immediately suspending sessions with torture survivors and furloughing 75% of our staff. While our U.S.-based centers are still operating, the overseas suspension has impacted clients living in Ethiopia, Jordan and Uganda, as well as partner torture treatment and civil society organizations and human rights defenders in dozens of additional countries.

Impacts on Survivors

Torture survivors who were participating in CVT’s affected programs were in the middle of critical mental health, physiotherapy and social services sessions, working to rebuild their lives after surviving torture and conflict-related trauma. CVT was instructed by the U.S. government to immediately cease operations, with only a few days’ notice to close treatment – a complete departure from the ethical and trauma-informed process we would have implemented.

I never thought I would be recovered by a person, because I was hurt by a person.”

-Former CVT client

Torture is universally prohibited under international law. It is inflicted to punish, injure and silence people and communities. It’s meant to break a person’s spirit. Healing from torture means taking steps to rebuild safety, trust and a sense of community. After enduring such excruciating trauma, taking these steps takes great courage.

“I never thought I would be recovered by a person, because I was hurt by a person,” said a survivor who was seen at CVT’s Ethiopia program.

To support survivors as they begin this journey to rebuild their lives, CVT provides a number of core rehabilitative and capacity-building services, along with others as needed. These include psychotherapy, physiotherapy, social work case management, psychoeducation workshops, community engagement programs, and a range of training, mentoring and consulting work to build resilience, skills and capacity for healing and civil society organizations.

A client in Ethiopia expressed sadness at the closing of care, saying, “Your words were the food we [were] fed, the water we drank, the cloth we dressed, the medicine we took, the patience we owned, the hope we restored. You were the food for our soul, heart and body.”

You were the food for our soul, heart and body.”

-Former CVT client

Interrupting clients in the middle of structured treatment programs is fundamentally contrary to the very work underway. Healing from torture requires resilience; it requires development of trust. CVT counselors note that this kind of sudden end to care, however, can lead to increased distress, relapses and overall worsening of mental health conditions.

Clinicians at CVT’s healing center in Jordan say that survivors of torture, conflict and displacement experience psychological scars as deeply as physical scars. The pain can be overwhelming. From our 40 years of work with survivors, CVT has seen that psychological torture results in a range of symptoms, from post-traumatic stress disorder to anxiety, depression and insomnia. Many clients arrive at CVT’s doors because they attempted suicide or they are overwhelmed by thoughts of killing themselves.

The sudden halt to care CVT has been forced to implement risks the lives and well-being of the people who came to CVT for the very purpose of rebuilding trust.

CVT’s Emergency Actions

CVT may have been required to cease international operations, but there is an enormous amount of emergency activity underway in response to this threat. Staff from across CVT operations, research, finance, IT and human resources took immediate action, working to comply with the stop-work orders and manage details. The team is fighting back with advocacy, outreach and fundraising, and supporters are showing up for CVT with generosity and compassion for survivors.

CVT’s policy and development teams have engaged donors and supporters in a series of meetings to spread the word and discuss emergency responses. Hundreds of supporters attended a virtual Townhall session February 7^th with Dr. Simon Adams, president and CEO, along with the development team who answered questions and provided details of the situation CVT’s actions and tactics.

The team launched an Emergency Response Campaign to raise money to support the organization in the face of signification loss of funding, and the campaign has been going very well, already raising hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In addition, the team has been reaching out to many institutional and international funders, working in coalition with colleagues and partners to seek emergency funding.

The team also set up this action page with a message that supporters can share with their elected officials.

We’re having to turn away torture survivors who are desperate for help, for whom we are a lifeline back to healing and hope.”

-Dr. Simon Adams, CVT president & CEO, to MPR News

News Media Telling the Story

On January 28, CVT publicly announced the forced closure of vital programs and since that time, CVT has been working with reporters and many news outlets, sharing the message of CVT’s life-saving work for thousands of survivors of torture. Some of these outlets reach millions of readers, and their articles are picked up and shared in hundreds of additional publications around the world.

Simon Adams said to Minnesota Public Radio, “We’re having to turn away torture survivors who are desperate for help, for whom we are a lifeline back to healing and hope.”

In a Minnesota Star Tribune article, Scott Roehm, director of global policy and advocacy, noted the cruelly abrupt nature of the stop-work orders, saying, “The whiplash alone associated with these kinds of sudden, erratic, and confusing developments is deeply harmful to torture victims and the other beneficiaries we serve.” He adds, “It makes the already thick fog of uncertainty and fear that they’ve been forced to endure that much worse.”

News Media Coverage – Center for Victims of Torture

In addition, Simon Adams wrote this article about the situation and its impacts on clients and CVT. He writes of our clients, “Some were imprisoned and tortured, some have survived persecution and atrocities, some had loved ones taken from them and ‘disappeared.’ And some are children.”

What You Can Do

Contact your U.S. members of Congress and ask them to support CVT, and to continue State Department and USAID funding for life-saving mental health and psychosocial support programs. Click here for a phone number and message to share.

Donate to CVT’s Emergency Campaign.

Spread the word – share CVT’s social media posts.