Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules

and pass the bill (H.R. 2017) to amend the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations to provide assistance for domestic and foreign programs and centers for the treatment of victims of torture, and for other purposes.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the bill under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, nationwide there are an estimated 400,000 torture survivors, most of whom came to the United States as refugees. Worldwide, it is impossible to count the numbers. As witnesses have repeatedly testified before our committee and before the Congress, the paralyzing scars from the physical and psychological wounds of torture can remain for years. Torture impacts not only the individual victim but their families and society as well.

Yesterday, the first witnesses testified in the trial of Saddam Hussein. Demonstrating heroic courage, they described torture on a scale that is almost beyond belief and which is simply too grisly to be repeated here. Although these events described happened many years ago, their testimony painfully illustrates the lasting impact torture has on those who survive it, their families and communities. There can be no doubt that Hussein's systematic torture was intended not only to punish specific victims but to coerce an entire population into silence and into subservience. As we try to bring democracy to Iraq and to other parts around the globe, we must try to heal the victims of torture that was used to prevent democracy from taking hold in the past.

In 1998, Mr. Speaker, Congress took a historic step towards repairing the broken lives of torture victims with the passage of the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998. I sponsored that legislation, and I was joined by my good friend and colleague (Mr. Lantos), who has also been a hero in this battle to help torture victims. We also sponsored the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 1999 and the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2003. As important as these congressional measures have been, there continues to be an enormous need for us to reach out to the victims of torture who oftentimes have no other recourse for their suffering. Therefore, I strongly urge my colleagues to join us today in supporting H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005.

The domestic aspect of this legislation, Mr. Speaker, is designed to ensure that particular attention is given to torture victims in regions with significant immigrant and refugee populations. The measure authorizes $25 million for fiscal year 2006 and $25 million for fiscal year 2007 to the Department of Health and Human Services to assist domestic treatment centers. This maintains the current $25 million authorization funding level for fiscal year 2005 for such centers.

Currently, 27 programs in 16 States are assisted by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Refugee Resettlement. In addition to direct assistance, many of these centers are also engaged in training mainstream organizations and personnel in the specialized treatment of torture victims.

The number of survivors seeking treatment at U.S. centers funded through the Torture Victims Relief and Reauthorization acts has steadily increased throughout the years. The client base at just 14 such centers increased from 935 in 1999 to 1,550 in 2000 to 2,579 in 2001. A subsequent survey showed that during 2002, 23 Torture Victim Relief Act-funded centers treated over 3,600 clients. With the additional funding, it is estimated the U.S. centers would have the capacity and the capability to serve an additional 2,800 survivors per year.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 2017 also authorizes $12 million in 2006 and $13 million in 2007 for foreign treatment centers and programs administered through USAID's Victims of Torture fund. This authorization would maintain the current fiscal year 2005 authorization for 2006 and increase it by $1 million for fiscal year 2007.

The bill gives particular emphasis to supporting centers and programs abroad in emerging democracies and postconflict environments. Nongovernmental organizations that receive this funding provide direct services to survivors, their families, and their communities. They also strengthen institutions on the ground and the indigenous capacity of these institutions to deliver services to survivors. In addition to providing treatment, many of these programs advocate for the elimination of torture itself in these countries.

Lastly, the measure maintains current authorization levels of $7 million for fiscal year 2006 for the U.N. Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture. It would increase this funding to $8 million in fiscal year 2007. In 2001, in just that one year alone, the U.N. fund assisted some 77,000 victims of torture. This type of humanitarian assistance provided by organizations which receive grants from the fund consists mainly of psychological, medical, social, legal, and economic assistance.

Again, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I attach for printing in the Congressional Record an exchange of letters between Chairman Hyde and Chairman Barton on the bill H.R. 2017 ``The Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005.''

House of Representatives, Committee on International

Relations,

Washington, DC, November 29, 2005.

Hon. Joe Barton,

Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Rayburn House

Office Building, Washington, DC.

Dear Mr. Chairman: On June 30, 2005, the Committee on

International Relations authorized me to seek consideration

of H.R. 2017, the ``Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization

Act of 2005,'' under suspension of the

rules. As you are aware, H.R. 2017 was additionally referred

to your Committee. The bill contains language which falls

within the Rule X jurisdiction of your Committee. Your

Committee's subject matter jurisdiction relates to the

authorization for domestic treatment centers for victims of

torture.

I write to ask that the Committee on Energy and Commerce

waive its opportunity to mark up provisions referred to it.

Timely action by the Energy and Commerce Committee would

allow this Committee to proceed expeditiously to the House

floor. By waiving the opportunity to mark up the bill, I

understand that your Committee does not waive any future

jurisdictional claim over this or similar measures. In

addition, in the event of a conference with the Senate on

this matter, I will recommend that your Committee have the

right to seek the appointment of conferees.

A copy of this letter and your reply will be placed in the

Congressional Record when the bill is considered on the

floor.

Sincerely,

Henry J. Hyde,

Chairman.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 3 minutes.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my good friends and colleagues for their very kind remarks. This is bipartisan legislation. We worked very closely with the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) to come up with what I think is a bill that will make a significant difference to help those who have suffered the cruelty of despotic regimes all over the world.

I just returned from a trip to Vietnam. I was in Hanoi, Hue, and finished the trip in Ho Chi Minh City; and during the course of more than 24 comprehensive meetings with religious and political people, many of whom are under house arrest, or pagoda arrest, including that of Thich Quand Do, the venerable leader of the Unified Buddhist Church of Vietnam, Father Li, Father Loy and many others, in each and every one of those circumstances, the more the conversation went on, the more you saw, while they suffered much in prison, especially for Father Li and others, they were subjected to torture and other inhumane treatment.

Their faith helps them get through it. But for most beyond a facade of coping, the mental pain is overwhelming. They and so many others like them all over the world need what this kind of legislation can provide in the foreign treatment centers as well as our domestic centers. We have learned much about post-traumatic stress disorder. We have learned much of it through our work in this country through the VA and the fine work that the psychologists have done and the psychiatrists in mitigating the pain of our GIs who served in Vietnam and in other conflicts.

But for other people who have suffered so cruelly, being put into coffin-like boxes for days and weeks on end, leaves scars. Father Calciu, I will never forget, a great leader in Romania who spent years in Communist prisons, used to be put in these small boxes where he would suffer beyond words. It was his faith that got him through it, but he carries those scars.

There are people like Armanda Valadaries who wrote a book that should be read by everyone as a primer as to what the Castro regime does to its people, ``Against All Hope.'' Valadaries talks about the torture that he and so many others in Cuba have suffered. And he is one of the brave ones who endured and overcame. But so many others retreat and slide into despair, clinical depression, and then sometimes even to suicide.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this. In like manner, I urge the appropriators to ensure that we meet the authorized levels. Torture victims are the walking wounded and they are on our streets. As both the gentleman from California (Mr. Lantos) and I said, 400,000 is the estimation of torture survivors living in the United States.

Many of them came here as asylum seekers. Thank God they got the asylum status. Many others survive throughout the world and need the kind of services this legislation can provide.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, as the House stands poised to consider and pass H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005 (TVRA), I want to express my strong support for this legislation. I am proud to be a cosponsor of H.R. 2017. I want to take this opportunity to recognize the efforts of Survivors of Torture, International (SURVIVORS) in my district of San Diego, California. SURVIVORS is an independent, nonprofit organization dedicated to caring for survivors of politically-motivated torture and their families who live in San Diego County.

San Diego is home to the busiest land border crossing in the world. According to conservative estimates based on International Red Cross Red Crescent Societies' extrapolations of the percentage of torture survivors among refugees from countries where the use of systematic torture is documented, approximately 11,000 torture survivors are living in San Diego County today. They are from countries where the use of systematic torture is documented, including countries in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America.

Since 1997, SURVIVORS has helped more than 500 torture survivors from more than 40 countries to recover from their traumas through a holistic program including medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, legal and social services. SURVIVORS empowers torture survivors to reclaim the strength and vitality that were stolen from them by brutal dictators and governments. The specialized care SURVIVORS provides these vulnerable individuals helps them to become self-sufficient and healthy members of their families and of our community. SURVIVORS currently serves approximately 200 survivors of torture and their families in San Diego County.

Mr. Speaker, SURVIVORS works with refugees, asylees, asylum seekers, and immigrants who are survivors of torture. By working with this large population in San Diego County, SURVIVORS is strengthening the nation: many of its clients move to other communities in the United States after receiving the care and services necessary to successfully build a new life here. As SURVIVORS continues to work in the community, it receives an increasing number of referrals and requests for services each year. There is also a need to continue making services even more comprehensive.

The professional background of SURVIVORS' clients include: business, religious, government, and farm leaders; university students and educators; journalists; physicians and nurses. They are talented, trained, productive people who feel destroyed. Torturers today are able to create conditions which effectively break down the victim's personality, identity, and his/her ability to live a full life later. At SURVIVORS and groups like it across the nation, these individuals find help to begin reclaiming their lives.

The significant majority of SURVIVORS clients in San Diego suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, or both. The worst consequences of torture are psychological ``sequelae.'' These are normal yet disabling reactions for ordinary people who have endured the extreme trauma of torture.

People are referred to programs like SURVIVORS through a variety of sources, including: religious and community-based social service organizations, refugee resettlement organizations, immigration attorneys, public health care providers, schools, individuals in the community, and other torture survivors.

Mr. Speaker, the TVRA provides funds for torture treatment centers in the U.S. through the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR). Currently, 27 programs in 17 states receive assistance through ORR. The treatment provided by these programs enables survivors of torture to recover their lives and become productive members of their communities. Many of these centers also train mainstream organizations and personnel. This increases the ability of health care providers, schools and other institutions to provide for the special needs of torture victims and contribute to the prevention of torture.

Since 2000, SURVIVORS has received the bulk of its funding from TVRA through ORR; and almost two-thirds of SURVIVORS' current financial support is funded through an ORR grant. TVRA provides funds for foreign treatment centers through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). In some cases, direct investment by the U.S. in torture rehabilitation centers provides important political support and protection, especially when the local embassy, Members of Congress and other American leaders visit these centers. SURVIVORS also receives funding to provide technical assistance and build the capacity of NGOs in Mexico that provide services to survivors of torture.

Mr. Speaker, TVRA also authorizes a contribution to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT). Funding from the U.N. helps many centers feel more secure in the dangerous work of aiding torture survivors that a regime has identified as its enemies. The UNVFVT supports nearly 200 treatment programs spanning 70 countries, including nearly all U.S. centers. This funding is also vital to groups like SURVIVORS for direct programs.

In conclusion Mr. Speaker, the TVRA is a vital piece of legislation which funds essential services for survivors of torture throughout the 53rd District of California and San Diego County, and enhances the standing and reputation by exporting America's values in the form of support for foreign treatment centers. I strongly urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this bill that is so important to so many.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005.

Congress originally approved the Torture Victims Relief Act in 1998 to provide medical, psychological and social services for survivors of torture in the United States. These survivors are primarily refugees from war-torn nations such as Bosnia, Iraq, the Sudan, Rwanda, Liberia, Afghanistan and others. Since the TVRA became law, over three dozen centers have been established nationwide to help survivors of torture regain the ability to care for themselves and their families, and positively contribute to our society. Most programs are at-capacity and must refer ``waiting list'' survivors to less-specialized clinics until treatment becomes available.

Reauthorization is critical to the estimated 400,000 torture survivors residing in the United States. The city of Lincoln, Nebraska, is home to the second highest refugee population in the Nation, and a corresponding treatment center that effectively transforms the lives of torture survivors to benefit the entire community. H.R. 2017 will help ensure such critical treatment centers remain available for torture survivors nationwide by reauthorizing the TVRA. The demand for treatment is so high that federal funding had to be cut to some existing centers last year in order to open new centers. Reauthorizing the TVRA will help provide critical support to all existing centers working to restore the lives and health of many refugees.

H.R. 2017 will authorize $25 million in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 to fund domestic treatment centers, $25 million over 2 years for the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, Victims of Torture Fund, and $15 million over two years for the United Nations' Voluntary Fund for the Victims of Torture, which supports almost all U.S. centers. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which I serve, unanimously reported this legislation during the last Congress.

Here are some facts underlining the importance of this legislation:

The Office of Refugee Resettlement of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services currently funds 27 treatment centers in 16 States, while other similar programs are funded in State health departments. Many centers do not have enough resources to meet existing demand from torture survivors in their communities.

Not surprisingly, few programs engage in outreach to refugee communities since they would not have the capacity to absorb the increased client load that such outreach might generate. Consequently, many torture victims are not receiving the rehabilitation treatment they need.

There has been no increase in funding levels since fiscal year 2001. At the same time, the number of survivors seeking treatment at U.S. centers has steadily increased. The client base at 14 centers increased from 935 in 1999, to 1,550 in 2000, and to 2,579 in 2001. In 2002, a subsequent survey showed that 23 federally-funded centers had treated 3,664 clients that year.

Despite the high need and demand for torture survivor services, the Office of Refugee Resettlement was forced to reduce funding to existing programs last year in order to open additional needed centers. One program had to close its doors, while others laid off employees or reduced the number of torture victims that can receive treatment.

The network of treatment centers in the United States still needs to be expanded, especially in areas with significant refugee and immigrant communities. For example, there are no treatment centers in Miami, New Orleans, Cleveland or Seattle.

Current funding does not provide for evaluation and research to strengthen the effectiveness of treatment programs for victims. In order to reach a greater number of torture survivors in the United States, training on the identification and treatment of victims of torture should be provided to general health care providers and hospitals.

Torture victims are often targeted for persecution by repressive regimes because of their independent political, religious or labor activities. Even after a dictatorial regime has fallen, the impact of torture can be felt for years: Dissidents are broken and potential leaders are lost; their families and communities are still frightened and disengaged from public life; there is a profound lack of trust in public institutions, police, and courts; political apathy is a lesson learned and lived out every day. But with medical, psychological and social services, torture survivors can again become contributing members of their communities, and lead lives of hope and success.

H.R. 2017 is critical for torture victims and their families, and I urge all of my colleagues to strongly support it.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2017, ``The Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2005.''

Torture can have devastating physical and psychological consequences for its victims. It is a worldwide health and human rights concern. The need for assistance for torture victims living in the United States is enormous. It is estimated that more than half a million survivors of torture, who fled persecution in their native countries, now live in the United States. Survivors of torture arriving in this country include students, academicians, religious leaders and political activists.

Programs funded through the Torture Victims Relief Act help torture victims heal and rebuild their lives. Because of this legislation, more than 30 organizations in more than 20 States are caring for refugees and asylum seekers who have been brutally tortured and traumatized in their countries of origin. Torture treatment programs funded by the Torture Victims Relief Act provide critical medical care, mental health care, and social services.

I am proud that one of the leading centers in the United States, the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture, is located in my district. This program is jointly sponsored by Bellevue Hospital, the nation's oldest public hospital, and New York University School of Medicine, a leader in medical education and research. Since the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture began in 1995, more than 1,800 men, women, and children (more than 600 in the last year alone) from more than 70 countries have received vital care. The Bellevue/NYU Program has established an international reputation for excellence in its clinical, educational and research activities.

One patient cared for through the Bellevue/NYU Program for Survivors of Torture is Samten. He is a gifted painter and was a leading artist in Tibet. After being arrested and imprisoned for writing poetry critical of the government, he was brutally beaten. During an interrogation session, he was told that he ``was causing nothing but trouble with his hands'' which were then forced into a coal oven. The severe bums caused significant scarring and disfigurement of his hands. He could barely hold a paintbrush and when he did, he had terrifying flashbacks of his abuse. Nightmares interrupted what little sleep he got.

At the time of referral to the Bellevue/NYU Program he did not have a regular place to stay. Through the Bellevue/NYU Program, he received primary medical care including pain management, treatment for exposure to tuberculosis as well as referral to hand specialists and subsequent hand surgery. Social service staff assisted him in finding housing and a pro bono attorney to represent him in his asylum case. He also attended a support group for Tibetan survivors which helped him to restore important social connections. Following surgery, he had marked improvement in the use of his hands. Recently, he was granted asylum, and he is again drawing and able to support himself.

The Bellevue/NYU Program and other treatment centers try to help torture survivors by restoring their dignity and their sense of trust. The centers also help them heal physically and psychologically, and assist them in getting on with their lives. Patients who have received care from the Bellevue/NYU Program and other torture treatment centers are now working, going to school, and again leading productive lives.

It is urgent that we continue to support torture treatment centers, both domestically and internationally, through the Torture Victims Relief Act.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2017, the Torture Victims Reauthorization Act of 2005.

Building on great legislation originally introduced by former Minnesota Senator David Durenburger, this bill further enhances the work that was started nearly a decade ago. The Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act reauthorizes funding for both domestic and foreign treatment centers for victims of torture, as well as the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud that Minnesota is the home of the world- renowned Center for Victims of Torture. The work being done at the Center by Mr. Doug Johnson and his extremely qualified, compassionate staff is changing the lives of thousands of people around the world. The Center not only works directly with survivors of torture, but they also train American and International professionals, who return to their communities with the skills needed to better assist victims in rebuilding their lives. Through the work of the Center for Victims of Torture, and other centers like it, survivors of torture are able to reclaim their dignity, their hope, and their futures.

For years, Minnesotans have committed themselves to providing a safe haven for people who have been victims of torture. This is why I, along with so many of my constituents, am so deeply disturbed by recent media reports that the U.S. government might be the source of violence similar to what these victims of torture have suffered. I am extremely disappointed by the Bush Administration's strong opposition, earlier this month, to a provision added to the Senate Fiscal Year 2006 Defense Authorization bill. That provision would ban the use of torture and cruel, and inhumane treatment by members of the U.S.

military, and would clearly demonstrate our country's commitment to defending human rights. To even suggest that the U.S. government would condone the use of torture should shame every one of us in this House. Members of my community in Minnesota stand in shock and disbelief at the mere suggestion that our government would seek approval for acts similar to those that have shattered their own lives.

America must remain a beacon of hope and justice in this world. It must be our role as policymakers to restore our nation's reputation and our role in promoting peace and democracy around the world. We cannot allow the fear of the unknown to force our country to turn from our long record of upholding and strengthening the human rights of all people everywhere. Our citizens deserve a better path to security. The best way to restore our Nation's reputation and ensure the safety of Americans, and people everywhere, is to promote human rights, hope and opportunity across the globe. This bill helps to restore our reputation by aiding in the recovery and rebuilding of lives devastated by torture.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to support this bill, and would like to thank Representative Chris Smith for his tireless work in supporting victims of torture, by introducing this reauthorization. I would also like to thank Ranking Member Lantos and Chairman Hyde for their strong support of this vital legislation in the House International Relations Committee. In addition, this bill would not be what it is today without the amazing and inspiring work of Doug Johnson, John Salzberg, their associates at the Center for Victims of Torture, and all those working in the field around the world. It is my hope that this bill allows their good work to continue for years to come.