malmstrom3_EMMANUELDUNANDAFPGettyImages_malmstromspeakinghandstied Emmanuel Dunand/AFP/Getty Images

Ending Trade in the Tools of Torture

On the UN's International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, the best way to honor victims and survivors is to take real action to end the practice globally. To that end, the world needs binding global rules prohibiting trade in instruments whose sole purpose is to inflict pain and suffering on humans.

BRUSSELS – There is no scenario where torture is acceptable or appropriate. Any practice that destroys its victims’ bodies and minds in order to control their will is an affront to the dignity of human beings. And research indicates that torture is, at best, an ineffective means of gathering intelligence; at worst, it can elicit false information, making it counter-productive.

Though torture is strictly forbidden under international law, it remains widespread. On the United Nations’ International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, commemorated on June 26, the best way to honor victims and survivors is to take real action to end – or, at least, impede – the practice globally. A good place to start is through international trade.

Though many countries have committed in recent decades to abolishing capital punishment and inhumane treatment and practices, the instruments of torture – such as finger screws, thumb cuffs, leg irons, restraint chairs, spiked batons, and whips embedded with barbs, hooks, or spikes – are still being traded freely across borders. These tools have no purpose beyond inflicting pain and suffering on human beings, yet they continue to cross borders just like any other good.

We hope you're enjoying Project Syndicate.

To continue reading, subscribe now.

Subscribe

Get unlimited access to PS premium content, including in-depth commentaries, book reviews, exclusive interviews, On Point, the Big Picture, the PS Archive, and our annual year-ahead magazine.

Support High-Quality Commentary

As the COVID-19 pandemic escalates, and its effects reverberate around the world, Project Syndicate is delivering the expert scientific, economic, and political insights that people need. For more than 25 years, we have been guided by a simple credo: All people deserve access to a broad range of views by the world's foremost leaders and thinkers on the issues, events, and forces shaping their lives. In this crisis, that mission is more important than ever – and we remain committed to fulfilling it.

But there is no doubt that the intensifying crisis puts us, like so many other organizations, under growing strain. If you are in a position to support us, please subscribe now.

As a subscriber, you will enjoy unlimited access to our On Point suite of long reads and book reviews, Say More contributor interviews, The Year Ahead magazine, the full PS archive, and much more. You will also directly support our mission of delivering the highest-quality commentary on the world's most pressing issues – including the latest outbreak-related developments – to as wide an audience as possible.

By helping us to build a truly open world of ideas, every PS subscriber makes a real difference. Thank you.

Subscribe Now

https://prosyn.org/HdvlL7o;