The Project is financed by the European Union European Union through the program European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)

The project is co-financed by the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture (UNVFVT)

Capacity Building - EDUCATION

Capacity building for professionals will enable replication of best practices related to rehabilitation of torture victims as well as expansion and improvement of activities implemented by IAN and its partners engaged in this project. It includes two activities:

Staff training in two newly established CRTVs in BiH

Professional empowerment seminar for the staff of the Centres for rehabilitation of victims of torture established within the project in BiH towns of Trebinje and Milicima was held on the 26th and 27th of October 2009 in Belgrade . IAN professionals with yearlong experience in work with victims of torture have transferred their knowledge and experiences to the BiH staff (doctors, psychologists, legal advisers and coordinators) engaged to start working from December 1st, 2009 in the Centres in Trebinje (within General hospital) and in Milici (within Primary health centre "Sveti Nikola").

A two day training consisted of topics relevant for all participants that provided them with introduction into the services for beneficiaries and activities of IAN CRTV and general principles of work with torture victims. On the second day group sessions were organised for professionals from different areas and the sessions included:

• Training for the managers of future centres that included project management, proposal and report writing, fundraising and advocacy.
• Training for counsellors and psychiatrists that included procedures for the first interview, diagnostics and referral, counselling and psychotherapy skills and treatment evaluation, with special accent on post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a consequence of torture, the ways of recognising PSTD, the issue of appearance of PTSD with postponed start.
• Training for medical doctors that included advanced knowledge regarding psychosomatic illnesses of torture victims, recognition of PTSD and most common medicines for treatment of torture victims.
• Training for legal advisers that included assistance in exercising various human rights for victims of torture, preparation for court witnessing, legal redress - claims for compensation, education about OPCAT.

All IAN CRTV professionals participated in delivery of the training.

Training for health professionals in BiH who are involved in work with torture victims

Within the project 6 trainings have been planned aimed at providing additional education for 120 general practitioners employed in health institutions in BiH.

The trainings were intended and especially designed for professionals working in primary health care institutions who are the first to come in contact with persons who suffered torture. They have a key role in recognizing the victims, examining and documenting cases of torture and referring them to further care of providing adequate treatment. The accent is put on PTSD, detection of symptoms which are consequences of trauma/torture/displacement, typical clinical picture of torture/trauma survivors, proper treatment and/or referral.

Assistance to a victim in exercising his/her rights at a court, but also in receiving adequate medical and psychological assistance and prevention of development of serious consequences of the traumatic experience is greatly determined by the way the victims are treated by the doctors in primary health care institutions. The participants are introduced with the proper procedure of interview conducting and documenting torture - The Istanbul Protocol.

Considering the war activities on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the nineties and a great number of persons who suffered trauma and torture in this area, the need for building capacities of health professional from BiH related to torture is prominent, which has been also confirmed at the already delivered trainings.

Participants have shown interest for the topics covered at the trainings and through their active participation they contributed to successful realization of trainings.

So far three trainings have been organized: two in Milici for GPs from the region of Birac, towns Zvornik, Vlasenica, Milici, Srebrenica, Bratunac, Han Pijesak and one training in Trebinje.

raining of health professionals aims at changing/improving the knowledge, attitudes and behaviour of this group towards better prevention of torture and protection of victims. They will be educated in issues concerning torture and its consequences on health (psychological and psychical) and social and economic life. The accent will be put on PTSD, detection of symptoms which are consequences of trauma/torture/displacement, typical clinical picture of torture/trauma survivors, proper treatment and/or referral.

Training for health professional in Milici, May 2009

 

Training for health professional in Milici, May 2010

 

Training for health professional in Trebinje, June 2010