Conceptualising rehabilitation as reparation for torture survivors: a clinical perspective

The right to rehabilitation as a form of reparation is well-established in international law although with respect to torture survivors, it has been insufficiently scoped, conceptually unclear and what it means in practice, has remained partial and ambiguous. This article provides a clinical perspective on the conceptualisation of the right to rehabilitation as a form of reparation for survivors of torture. It explores the nature of rehabilitation and its components in practice, highlighting the theoretical and ideological influences which shape diverse approaches to rehabilitation in practice. Drawing on recent developments in international law, specifically, the conceptualisation of rehabilitation in General Comment 3 on Article 14 of the Convention Against Torture is discussed and an integrative, conceptual model of rehabilitation, drawing on legal and clinical perspectives, is proposed.