Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims
The Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT) is an independent, non-governmental and non-profit organization with the mission to provide treatment and rehabilitation for Kosovar torture victims, continuous capacity building on trauma and torture related issues, of its staff and public sector; as well as to promote the respect of human rights for all the Kosovo ethnicities and to influence the prevention and eradication of torture. The organization has been working on torture-related issues since its foundation in the aftermath of the 1999 conflict, when it initially focused on the rehabilitation of survivors of torture and become a reference centre on torture documentation, prevention and rehabilitation. In 2006, the organization underwent substantial structural changes. The predominantly psychological and psychiatric profile of the organization and its core programmes were gradually supplemented with new approaches to expand the psychosocial context of assistance, including not only psychological aid, but also capacity building in the psychosocial field, programmes for health professionals, social workers, aid distribution, assistance with repatriation, skills training programmes, medical aid and expertise, legal support, advocacy and research. An important element was the strengthening of KRCT’s torture prevention work, linked to development of the legal and advocacy section. KRCT has already been very effective in this area and has had a sustainable impact on Kosovo’s laws and regulations, among other things through contributing to the development of Kosovo’s Strategy and Action Plan on Human Rights (2009-2011). As a direct result of KRCT’s lobbying efforts, the Action Plan includes specific references to the rights of victims of torture as well as to preventing those conditions of detention and other aspects of justice administration that can amount to torture, ill-treatment or degrading treatment or punishment. KRCT is included as partner in the national action plan to improve the physical and psychosocial situation of torture victims and trauma in Kosovo.
