The Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture (RCVT) works to rehabilitate victims of torture, and their direct families, both medically and economically. The victims are primarily Ethiopians tortured by the officials of the Eritrean government during the Ethio-Eritrean Conflict. The Center offers free medical treatment and psychological counseling to victims through its Medium Clinic.

On December 3, 2004, a Beneficiaries committee was established to raise awareness of the services offered by the Center and to develop outreach and engagement to the survivor community. The Beneficiaries committee comprises eight members, six of them beneficiaries of the Center’s services and two members of the Center’s staff. The six beneficiaries are chosen from the members of the beneficiaries Idir. An idir is a community gathering mechanism and as most of the victims of torture treated by the Center currently live in one area, they have created a Beneficiaries Idir.

Much of the work of raising awareness that is carried out by members of the Beneficiaries committee is conducted through the organization of Coffee Ceremonies. A coffee ceremony is convened by a family of the victim of torture. The family will invite its neighbors to participate and use the opportunity to raise the issue of torture and its dehumanizing and degrading effects. This both raises awareness and encourages people to become actively involved in the prevention of torture. Participants are encouraged to organize their own coffee ceremonies in other parts of the neighborhood as an on going awareness program.

One of the first actions of the Beneficiaries committee, which meets on a weekly basis, was to establish a Medium Clinic at the Center. The committee worked with government officials to secure a license for the clinic. The clinic treats victims of torture and their families. Prior to the establishment of the clinic, victims had to travel to two government hospitals to receive treatment from the Center’s volunteer doctors who had been trained in the area of torture treatment. At that time the number of beneficiaries of treatment was about 75. After the establishment of the Medium Clinic, the numbers rose to over 450. The number of clients receiving long term counseling at the Center also rose significantly.

The active participation of the beneficiaries in all aspects of the Center’s work has greatly improved the ability of the Center’s staff to design outreach programs. By using music, drama and story telling techniques, beneficiaries help to raise awareness and involve a broader audience in torture prevention initiatives. The work of the Beneficiaries committee has also ensured that the activities of the Center are now much better understood at the government level.