The Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is an independent non-governmental organization based in Geneva, operating globally to prevent torture and other ill-treatment. The APT envisions a world in which no one is subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as promised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The ATP is an advocacy organization that works with governments, legal and justice systems, human rights institutions and civil society to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment.

APT’s international secretariat is based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 2010 we opened our first Regional Office for Latin America, based in Panama.

In particular, APT works towards: 
 

Promoting transparency and monitoring of places of detention, to reduce the risk of torture and ill-treatment on persons deprived of their liberty.
 
Advocating for legal and policy frameworks, so that torture and other forms of ill-treatment are criminalised and prevented in law and practice.
 
Strengthening capacities of torture prevention actors and facilitate exchanges to identify and replicate good practices.
 
Contributing to informed public policy debates, so that torture can be universally rejected.

 


What They Do

Over the past 35 years, the APT has developed a unique global overview and expertise in all aspects of the prevention of torture. They support governments, justice systems, human rights institutions and civil society to take effective actions to prevent torture and other ill-treatment.
 

The APT has been the driving force behind the drafting, adoption and implementation of international and regional legal instruments to prevent torture, including the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT), the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and the Robben Island Guidelines for the Prohibition and Prevention of Torture in Africa.

They continue to advocate for ratification of the OPCAT and for effective torture prevention bodies. At the national level they help States with domestication of the Convention against Torture and with the development of legal safeguards which will help prevent torture and other ill-treatment.

Through direct contacts, open dialogue and close partnerships with local actors, they provide:
 

legal advice for torture prevention bodies and for legislators;
training and capacity strengthening;
research and analysis on causes of torture and ill-treatment;
exchanges between torture prevention actors; and
practical tools and resources in many languages.