Campaign against Torture

			The Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment - A Manual for Prevention
			"This Manual will serve as a practical tool for the campaign for the ratification and implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture. Addressed to national and regional actors working in the prevention of torture and ill-treatment, the Manual offers useful information on this unique human rights instrument." " On 18 December 2002, the UN General Assembly adopted the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT). The aim of the OPCAT is to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment by establishing a system of regular visits to places of detention carried out by independent international and national bodies." "Thus, this Manual introduces the reader to the Optional Protocol, stressing the need for this innovative instrument within the framework of existing norms and mechanisms. The publication then takes the reader through the history of the Optional Protocol, from its initial conception, through the drawn-out negotiation process to its final historic adoption by the UN General Assembly. A legal commentary of the text itself points in more detail to the significance and background of some of the key provisions. The Manual then illustrates the potential impact of a system of regular monitoring of detention facilities, by describing the two main bodies that will conduct this work at an international and national level. Finally, concrete actions and specific strategies are suggested for the key actors of ratification and implementation campaigns. " The remarkable success of the adoption of the Optional Protocol was the result of collaborative efforts by numerous committed actors. The final entry into force of the instrument now depends on the sustained collective efforts of members of government ministries, parliamentarians, national human rights institutions, NGOs and individuals fully engaged with promoting the Protocol in their own country. The APT and IIDH expect this publication to serve as a useful guide in this process to help put an end to torture and ill-treatment across the world.
			Author: The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) and the Inter-American Institute for Human Rights (IIDH)
			Published Date: 2005
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			Towards a Torture Free South Africa: Police Accountability and Policing Oversight in South Africa
			Workshop proceedings of the workshop organised by the Kwazulu Natal Campaing against torture held in Durban September 21st - 23rd 2004
			WorkshopSept2004.doc (519 KB)
			Author: Campaign against Torture
			Published Date: 2004

			Report for the KwaZulu - Natal Provincial Office of the South African Police Services on the findings of the pilot project to monitor six police stations in the Durban area for incidents of torture.
			The main objective of this project is to document all forms of torture, associated with six police stations in the greater Durban area, as reported to the KwaZulu- Natal Campaign against Torture (KZ-N CAT) monitors. Other objectives are to take appropriate action to bring the perpetrators to justice and to administer necessary referrals of identified victims to appropriate service providers; legal, medical and psychological.
			report.doc (---)
			Author: Kwazulu Natal Campaign against Torture
			Published Date: 2002

			Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, G.A. res. A/RES/57/199, adopted Dec. 18, 2002
			The principles, composition, provisions of the Optional Protocol. Entered into force on 22 June 2006.
			Author: United Nations Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights
			Published Date: 2003
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			Optional protocol to the Convention against Torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. CSPRI Research paper 2
			Some of the issues examined by this paper are the definition of torture, the contents of the Optional Protocol and implications for South Africa if it ratifies the Optional Protocol. CSPRI Research Paper Series, no 2,
			Author: Professor Lovell Fernandez
			Published Date: 2003
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			Implementation of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture
			This paper aims to provide a commentary on the provisions within the Optional Protocol regarding national preventive mechanisms
			NPM.doc (---)
			Author: Association for the Prevention of Torture
			Published Date: 2004