Center for Victims of Torture

Center for Victims of Torture The Center for Victims of Torture is an international nonprofit dedicated to healing survivors of torture and violent conflict. Advocacy

CVT’s Washington, D.C.
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At the Center for Victims of Torture, we are forging new ways to advance human rights and build a future free from torture. Through research, training, advocacy and our healing care for survivors, each initiative we undertake plays a role in building a larger vision for the torture rehabilitation movement. Healing

In the United States, torture survivors receive out-patient care at our centers in

Arizona, Georgia and Minnesota. A team of healers provides medical and nursing care, psychotherapy, social services and massage and physical therapy. Our international healing initiatives are in refugee camps and post-conflict areas where few mental health resources are available. We extend multi-disciplinary care and train local community members and refugees to meet the mental health needs of survivors. Training

At CVT, training is about finding ways to strengthen and support the people and organizations that work with torture survivors. We offer training projects around the world so that individuals and organizations can learn new and improved ways to provide healing services to torture survivors. Research

We work with other torture victim rehabilitation centers to help them develop their own tools for measuring the impact of rehabilitation services on the well-being of torture survivors. We conduct rigorous evaluation and monitoring to ensure the work we do is effective. office gives voice to people who were purposefully silenced by perpetrators of torture. In our nation’s capital, we show policy makers that there is hope, that survivors can regain productive lives of dignity. Note to readers:
CVT is not able to respond to requests for assistance that are posted on social media. If you are seeking professional services or assistance, we encourage you to go to this page for referral information: https://www.cvt.org/resources/looking-for-care/

Hello DC: Register now! We’re partnering with Muslim Counterpublics Lab to examine the lessons and legacies for the 25t...
09/04/2026

Hello DC: Register now! We’re partnering with Muslim Counterpublics Lab to examine the lessons and legacies for the 25th anniversary of the War on Terror - George Washington University, Sept 17-18. Check out this incredible schedule and line up of brilliant speakers from across sectors including journalists, lawyers, organizers, scholars, directly impacted community members and so much more.

Register here: https://waronterror25.org/

Trauma can affect how people think and feel. It can also affect sleep, pain, muscle tension and the body's response to s...
09/03/2026

Trauma can affect how people think and feel. It can also affect sleep, pain, muscle tension and the body's response to stress. CVT’s trauma-informed, culturally-responsive massage therapy (TCI-Massage) was developed to help address the physical dimensions of recovery alongside our psychosocial care.

Read more: https://www.cvt.org/what-we-do/advancing-research/tci-massage/

Massage Therapy Foundation
American Massage Therapy Association - AMTA

DO NOT GIVE ELECTRIC SHOCK GLOVES TO ICE. Act today: Contact Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and t...
08/31/2026

DO NOT GIVE ELECTRIC SHOCK GLOVES TO ICE.
Act today: Contact Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and tell him to cancel the multi-million dollar contract for direct-contact shock gloves for ICE. Join efforts led by Congresswoman Delia Ramirez who said the decision to buy the gloves “… continues a deeply disturbing escalation in the militarization of DHS — as well as sustained efforts to shield itself from accountability.”
Click and call today: https://www.cvt.org/stop-shock-gloves/

NEW from Emily Witt at The New Yorker covering the horrifying events of Operation Metro Surge. CVT’s Alison Beckman, sen...
08/31/2026

NEW from Emily Witt at The New Yorker covering the horrifying events of Operation Metro Surge. CVT’s Alison Beckman, senior clinician for external relations, comments that CVT clients detained by ICE told stories “strikingly similar to the ones that they tell us about what happened to them in their country—a group of masked men throwing you in a car, taking you somewhere, holding you, not telling you what’s happening.”
Read the article - link in comment.

Naima lived in Iraq during the war when her husband was killed. But then her 17-year old daughter was taken by militia, ...
08/30/2026

Naima lived in Iraq during the war when her husband was killed. But then her 17-year old daughter was taken by militia, leaving her with loss she struggled to comprehend: “I see her in front of me. I hear her voice screaming for me . . . I keep talking to myself. I ask her if it’s possible that she could find an escape and come back to me.”

Enforced disappearance is used to punish and control communities. CVT stands with all victims of enforced disappearance.

International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances

"There seems to be a real hunger for this work. People are interested and engaged, and express a lot of gratitude for th...
08/28/2026

"There seems to be a real hunger for this work. People are interested and engaged, and express a lot of gratitude for the work," said Diane Long, massage therapist, after a successful event at the convention. Dr. Jenn Esala, senior evaluator & researcher, Sara Phillips, psychotherapist, and Diane (shown left to right) spoke about “Trauma-Informed, Culturally-Responsive Massage Therapy for Survivors of Violence.” Jenn noted that “a lot of the questions, comments, and discussion during the session were about trauma informed approaches to massage, which is a strength of the intervention and also CVT.”

NEW: “The news today from a military judge that evidence from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in which he confessed to planning ...
08/28/2026

NEW: “The news today from a military judge that evidence from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, in which he confessed to planning the brutal attacks of 9/11, must be excluded is a critical moment. Because his testimony was derived under torture, it is not admissible.

“Torture doesn’t get truth or justice; it just gets you a case that collapses.” -Yumna Rizvi, CVT senior policy analyst

Read the release here:
https://www.cvt.org/statements/cvt-responds-as-key-evidence-derived-from-torture-is-excluded-in-9-11-case/

The deal went through: DHS will spend $16.7 million to supply shock gloves to ICE agents. ICE has repeatedly shown they ...
08/28/2026

The deal went through: DHS will spend $16.7 million to supply shock gloves to ICE agents. ICE has repeatedly shown they will use abusive, even deadly, tactics against anyone they wish. The range of cruelty that could result from use of these gloves by such agents is horrifying. As immigration enforcement continues its out-of-control rampage across the United States, inherently abusive equipment like direct-contact shock gloves must never be given to ICE agents.

Shock gloves are designed for abuse. They inflict pain on contact but leave no marks. The Department of Homeland Securit...
08/27/2026

Shock gloves are designed for abuse. They inflict pain on contact but leave no marks. The Department of Homeland Security plans to spend $20 million to supply the gloves to ICE agents, providing a new way to avoid accountability to an agency that has proven itself to be out of control. These gloves have no place in law enforcement.

Address

2356 University Avenue W, Suite 430
Saint Paul, MN
55114

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+16124364800

Website

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