Letter From The World Organisation Against Torture

World Organisation Against Torture
P.O. Box 21 - 1211 Geneva 8
Switzerland
Tel.: 0041/22 809 49 39 / Fax: 0041/22 809 49 29
E-mail: omct@omct.org / Web: www.omct.org


Re: ESCR-Net International Strategy Meeting and General Assembly


Dear Colleagues of the ESCR-Net,

The International Strategy Meeting and ESCR-Net General Assembly are approaching fast and I am sure we are all thinking of the importance that these two meetings will have for our future work.

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), which is a founding member of the network and attaches great importance to its work, will not be able to be with you in Nairobi. Unfortunately, the dates coincide with OMCT's Colloquium on "Torture : political, cultural and economic relativisms, the clash of convictions" and its General Assembly, both of which require all hands to be on deck.

Your discussions will deal with a number of important issues of concern to us all, and OMCT would like to call to your attention in particular to the need to fight torture, ill-treatment and other forms of violence by addressing their economic, social and cultural root causes, which is important for ending violence and promoting development.

In the two years that we have been implementing a project financed by the European Union to address the root causes of torture, OMCT has learned that dealing with those root causes can reduce violence and that this, in turn, can increase the space for economic, social and cultural development. We hope that you will be able to consider this issue, which cuts across a number of the items on your agenda.

OMCT bases its work in this area on the Interdisciplinary Study, "Attacking the Root Causes of Torture: Poverty, Inequality and Violence", published in 2006:

http://www.omct.org/pdf/ESCR/2006/omct_desc_study_2006_cd/read_me_first.html

As you are meeting in Kenya, we wish to draw your attention to two reports prepared by OMCT and its Kenyan partners (Cemiride, ICJ-Kenya and IMLU) which were recently considered by, respectively, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the UN Committee Against Torture. Both these reports detail the links between violations of economic, social and cultural rights and torture and violence in Kenya:

http://www.omct.org/pdf/ESCR/2008/CESCR_kenya_OMCT_alt_report.pdf

http://www.omct.org/pdf/ESCR/2008/CAT_kenya_alt_report.pdf

Finally, in May 2008, in Maputo, Mozambique, 17 African NGOs adopted the Maputo Declaration Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (attached in both English and French). In this Declaration they recognise that violations of economic, social and cultural rights are very often the root causes of the torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment their organisations fight against, and that such violations can be effectively reduced or eliminated by action on those root causes. They call on African Governments to take action to make the continent "free from such practices". To date, close to 50 NGOs and individuals from around the world have signed the Declaration. NGOs and individuals from all regions are invited to join the Declaration.

Again, we regret very much not being able to be with you and we wish you all great success in the meeting.

Eric Sottas

Secretary General

November 2008