ISLAMABAD- SACH has been engaged in regional collaboration with UN Voluntary Fund for Torture Victims and International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Survivors for the last two decades. As part of its regular interventions, SACH has organized a series of three medical camps in the month of June 2014 in Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore, District Jail Faisalabad and District Jail Attock in connection with the campaign in support of victims of violence and torture. During these medical camps, a total of 130 inmates comprising of men, women and children victims of torture have been provided with free medical assistance and psychosocial counseling for their torture related issues.

In commemoration of the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, SACH- Struggle for Change organized a round table dialogue on the theme for the year 2014 “NO IMPUNITY” at SACH Project Office, Islamabad. The event aimed to show support for torture survivors and their families. A number of lawyers from local courts of Islamabad and Rawalpindi participated in the dialogue and showed their keen interest as it was an opportunity for all those who seek a world without torture to speak out.
The dialogue focused on the problem of impunity that encourages human rights violations by not indicting the torture perpetrators. In all regions of the world, crimes of torture are committed every day against men, women and children. In most cases, no one is prosecuted and punished, as these crimes are committed with impunity. Impunity is the failure of the state to fully investigate violations; to bring to justice and punish perpetrators; to provide victims with ef¬fective remedies; and to take all necessary steps to prevent the violation to happen again.
It was stated by the participating lawyers that impunity for torturers prevents victims of torture to see justice done. A consensus was developed among participants that violations must be fully, promptly, impartially and thoroughly investigated, perpetrators prosecuted; and if their guilt is established, they must be punished accord¬ingly. The congregation also highlighted the fact that under international law, i.e. according to the UN Convention against Torture that the government of Pakistan has ratified, states are obliged to investigate alleged crimes of torture and to bring perpetrators to justice. Hence, it is     the state’s responsibility to assure that all acts of torture are defined as crimi¬nal offences under national penal law and that these offences are punishable by appropriate sanctions and legislation.
At the end of the program, the Executive Director, SACH - Struggle for Change Ms. Khalida Salimi gave a note of thanks by appreciating participants for taking active part in the discussion and joining hands for this noble cause.
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