Training Programme

The numbers of persons who have benefited from the training programme are over 1000 individuals over the period of January 2003 to March 2004. This includes the various training programmes and workshops as well as the various lectures and seminars carried out over the periods. Awareness regarding human rights has been fundamental in the reporting of human rights abuses and violations allowing for more detailed documenting and reporting of cases. In addition, we have received contributions from the survivors of torture themselves including volunteering in our centre.

The training programme forms the last stage of the rehabilitation process and is also directed at members of the human rights community and SOAT staff.

Practical training focuses on the skills necessary for finding employment, equipping survivors of torture with the means to support themselves, enabling them to lead stable dignified lives. Some workshops, such as computer training, are held regularly every few months; others are unique and held in response to needs, research or as a result of the monitoring and evaluation process.

Human Rights training for staff, members of the human rights community and survivors of torture forms both practical/professional training and is way of preventing further human rights abuses in the future. SOAT provides training to doctors, journalists, women, lawyers trade unionists and others on issues concerning human rights. Training on fact finding techniques, for example, teaches survivors of torture and staff, how to record human rights violations in an accurate and consistent way, thereby making it more difficult for perpetrators to act with impunity.

Kosti Training