Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims
Bangladesh Rehabilitation Centre for Trauma Victims (BRCT; ) is a Bangladeshi NGO, working in the area of rehabilitation of trauma victims. It was established in 1992. BRCT began its journey by providing medical treatment, legal support, and rehabilitation to the victims on 25 February 1992 with support from foreign medical experts. Founder Akram H. Chowdhury, a human rights activist and 9th Parliament Member (MP) is the founding General Secretary of BRCT. He is also Secretary General of Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights (BIHR) in Dhaka, and a Council Member of Executive Committee, of International Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (IRCT), Copenhagen, Denmark. Activity There are two major area of concentration or activities of BRCT – the curative and the preventive ones. BRCT has been operating a very up-dated treatment at Dhaka exclusively for the torture survivors to improve their physical and psychological structure for restoration in the society under the supervision of allied experts. Besides Medicare, physiotherapy and psychotherapy it provides prompt counselling, legal aids, lobbying home visit provide them physical rehabilitation and financial rehabilitation for the torture survivors. The legal department of BRCT was developed in 1994. The legal department of the BRCT is concerned about both curative and preventive measures. Curative activities include arranging bail, providing legal advice, taking cases to court and lobbying legislative changes. Preventive activities include raising awareness to the public, seminars, symposiums and training community health workers (CHW) through use DDCAT. Taking cases trial can be considered curative as well as preventive as these acts could be deterrents for police to commit such crimes. The monthly regular publications of BRCT is Manobadhikar Aunushandhani (Human Rights Fact-finder) and Article 14 is a quarterly published English newsletter. BRCT observes the International Day in Support of Torture Victims on 26 June and International Human Rights Day on 10 December regularly and makes awareness among the people of Bangladesh. It organises various rallies, seminars, posters, stickers & leaflets, bills, etc. to create public awareness in Bangladesh. Preventive Victim's Associations (VA) Door to Door Campaign Against Torture (DDCAT) Task Force Against Torture (TFT) Home Visits Research and Documentation Lobbying for Change and Spreading Awareness Curative Integrated Rehabilitation Approach (IRA) Community Bades Rehabilitation (CBR) Community Health Assistant Program (CHA) Integrated Rehabilitation Approach As already stated, the ultimate goal of BRCT is to provide victims of torture with a combination of treatment and rehabilitation to allow full integration back into their homes and communities. Early on, BRCT recognised that completed rehabilitation could not occur with a little medication and a bandage. Rehabilitation involves a multidisciplinary approach and at BRCT. This approach has come to be known as the integrated rehabilitation approach (IRA). The IRA consists of services at BRCT including counselling, medical care, physiotherapy, psychotherapy, and legal assistance. The IRA also involves group and family therapy, follow-ups including home visits. Victims' Association Once the victims, especially of rural areas, return to their communities, they will often form or join a victim's association (VA). The VA was initiated by the BRCT as