On 22 September 2025, Validity sent a written submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in response to the call for input on experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Our submission will inform the Special Rapporteur’s next report which will be presented to the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in March 2026. In this report, the Special Rapporteur will explore the experiences and perspectives of victims and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as well as their recommendations, in strengthening measures to prevent, prohibit, investigate and punish crimes of torture, and provide rehabilitation and reparations for victims and survivors, at national, regional and global levels. In particular, focus will be provided on how the meaningful participation and collaboration of survivors can be secured.
In our submission, we presented the first-hand experiences of five clients of ours who are survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, and provided the Special Rapporteur with their video testimonies.
Tanya is a survivor of psychiatric hospitalisation and violence from Bulgaria. She was represented by Validity and our Bulgarian partner, the Network of Independent Lawyers (NIE). Tanya has been inpatient almost 50 times and have seen, heard, and gone through things no one deserves to be submitted to. She lived in a mini-institution, a small group home, and had the following experiences:
“No one at the small group home helped me realise I was a victim. And no one referred me to a therapist or to a help centre to help me get out of the whole situation which was full of violence. Instead, they kept giving me strong medications to help me be more patient and suffer in silence.”
X.Y. is a survivor of institutionalisation and sexual and gender-based violence from Uganda. She was represented by Validity and our Ugandan partner, the Women’s Probono Initiative (WPI). X.Y. was sexually assaulted by a private security guard at the Butabika National Referral Mental Hospital. Despite reporting the assault promptly, she was denied immediate medical examination, basic medical care, and any form of psychological counselling or trauma support.
“I was raped, and I insisted on being tested to confirm that I had been raped. A nurse insisted that I first bathe. So, a rape kit was not done and also, I was not given PEP [Post-Exposure Prophylaxis] to prevent the HIV exposure.”
István is a survivor of institutionalisation and ill-treatment from Hungary. He was represented by Validity and the Hungarian Hand-in-Hand Foundation. István was institutionalised since his birth, 1965, and she managed to move out on more than 55 years later, on 17 August 2021.
“I want to start another lawsuit to get reparation for what happened to me in the institution. And for forcing me to live there for over 55 years, even though I can live independently. And also because of the proceedings at the guardianship authority. I would like to receive compensation for this.”
Benon is survivor of institutionalisation and forced psychiatric treatment from Uganda. He was represented by Validity with our Ugandan partners, the Center for Human Rights and Development (CEHURD), Mental Health Uganda (MHU), and the Center for Food and Adequate Living Rights (CEFROHT). Benon was detained at Butabika National Mental Referral Hospital between October 2005 and November 2010 and was subject to prolonged seclusion in dark rooms devoid of basic amenities, exposure to inhumane conditions, and deprivation of sensory interaction.
“I was placed in a seclusion room, which did not have any audio or video interaction. There is no toilet, there are no beddings. During the time of that seclusion, I was fast stripped naked. (…) In the seclusion room, where there is no urinal, where is no toilet, you are compelled to stay in a such a room with all the excreta.”
Victor is survivor of institutionalisation and forced psychiatric treatment from Moldova. Her was represented by Validity and our Moldovan partner, the Moldovan Institute for Human Rights (IDOM). Vicor was left without parental care at the age of 13. Following the closure of a boarding school where he was placed, he was transferred to Codru psychiatric hospital under false pretences. Despite his protests, he was detained, against his will, subjected to heavy psychiatric medication without informed consent, and endured degrading treatment, including being placed in the adults’ section of the facility with his hands tied.
“They tied me to the bed. I remember, when I woke up, I was tied to the bed with my hands and legs. Afterwards they let me free, but there, in the adults’ section, I was afraid because there were people older than me who told me they had been in prison.”
Validity urged the Special Rapporteur to recognise institutionalisation and different practices violating the rights of persons with disabilities, including denial of informed consent to medical and other decisions; forced sterilisation, abortion, contraception, and medication; physical, chemical and mechanical restraints; seclusion and isolation; physical and psychological violence; severe neglect; intersecting forms of abuse, including sexual and gender-based violence, as forms of torture and ill-treatment under international law.
We called on the Special Rapporteur to call for immediate redress and reparations to persons with disabilities detained in institutions, survivors of institutionalisation and survivors of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.