When you think of ‘torture’ the images that come to mind are likely to be infamous scenes from Guantanamo Bay detention camp, Abu Ghraib prison or the film, Zero Dark Thirty.
At the second Human Rights Night held at the UNSW Bookshop, Professor Danielle Celermajer explained that examples like this formed just the "apex of a triangle". The broad base of that triangle consisted of routine violence committed against people in detention.
“This more routine form of violence causes enormous damage to individuals, to families, to communities, to the institutions where torture is perpetrated, and to the trust in security sector organisations,” Professor Celermajer said.
“It’s really important to be able to bring the gravity of the word ‘torture’ to highlight that.”
Professor Celermajer discussed her latest book, The Prevention of Torture: An Ecological Approach, with Associate Professor Ben Golder of UNSW Law.
The series of talks aims to connect audiences to human rights through books, and celebrate new fiction and non-fiction works that put important rights issues in focus.
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