The handbook is based on the experience of numerous international bodies whose meticulous work has exposed torture and ill-treatment to the light of systematic inquiry and established the practical steps that can be taken to identify, control, and ultimately, eliminate these abuses. Field missions can bring this international experience to bear in the host country, by promoting implementation of the practical safeguards set out in this handbook, and by making clear both to government and civil society the commitment of the OSCE to see torture and ill-treatment eliminated.
The handbook sets out the essential legal and political framework for this effort, both within the OSCE itself and internationally. It describes the circumstances in which OSCE missions are most likely to encounter allegations of torture and ill-treatment and introduces the fundamental framework within which to respond. It outlines the internationally established safeguards which are most likely to protect individuals from torture and ill-treatment. The handbook therefore serves as a basic reference work for OSCE staff who are confronted with allegations related to torture and ill-treatment or who need access to the relevant international safeguards, standards and mechanisms. It explains how respect for those safeguards and standards can be monitored, as well as how best to assess, investigate and report compliance with them. It also provides advice on appropriate ways of responding to specific allegations.
Finally, it gives OSCE missions advice on further approaches which can be made, both to individual governments and to the OSCE and other institutions, in an effort to eliminate torture and ill-treatment. It also includes information on practical assistance that may be provided to governments, as well as to survivors and their families.
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