Torture

Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including <a href="/facts/Corporal_punishment/3Fub5D16">punishment</a>, <a href="/facts/Forced_confession/yPc7KgCV">extracting a confession</a>, <a href="/facts/Interrogational_torture/kJUkfSGW">interrogation for information</a>, or intimidating third parties.
<a href="/facts/Definitions_of_torture/y2r5LeED">Some definitions</a> restrict torture to acts carried out by the <a href="/facts/State_(polity)/7ggBzTSk">state</a>, while others include non-state organizations. Most victims of torture are poor and marginalized people suspected of crimes, although torture against <a href="/facts/Political_prisoner/QwWMH57J">political prisoners</a>, or during armed conflict, has received disproportionate attention. <a href="/facts/Judicial_corporal_punishment/3JuD7AtG">Judicial corporal punishment</a> and <a href="/facts/Capital_punishment/4pbmeUIb">capital punishment</a> are sometimes seen as forms of torture, but this label is internationally controversial. A variety of <a href="/facts/Methods_of_torture/dXByFg3C">methods of torture</a> are used, often in combination; the most common form of physical torture is beatings. Beginning in the twentieth century, many torturers have preferred non-<a href="/facts/Scarring/XSQ92JoG">scarring</a> or <a href="/facts/Psychological_torture/lB3S938c">psychological</a> methods to maintain deniability. 
Torturers more commonly act out of <a href="/facts/Fear/BSzreRdS">fear</a>, or due to limited resources, rather than <a href="/facts/Sadomasochism/7qLnTWWC">sadism</a>. Although most torturers are thought to learn about torture techniques informally and rarely receive explicit orders, they are enabled by organizations that facilitate and encourage their behavior. Once a torture program begins, it usually escalates beyond what is intended initially and often leads to involved agencies losing effectiveness. Torture aims to break the victim's <a href="/facts/Volition_(psychology)/zczz7t9C">will</a>, destroy their <a href="/facts/Agency_(philosophy)/CyWNFzm1">agency</a> and <a href="/facts/Personality/zdkhBU5V">personality</a>, and is cited as one of the most damaging experiences that a person can undergo. Many victims suffer both physical damage—<a href="/facts/Chronic_pain/o4rGTd95">chronic pain</a> is particularly common—and mental <a href="/facts/Sequelae/VJ89GSoC">sequelae</a>. Although torture survivors have some of the highest rates of <a href="/facts/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder/9etKu7bX">post-traumatic stress disorder</a>, many are psychologically resilient. 
Torture has been carried out since ancient times. However, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many Western countries abolished the official use of torture in the <a href="/facts/Judicial_system/CvMkSB6T">judicial system</a>, although it continued to be used throughout the world. Public opinion research shows general opposition to torture. It is <a href="/facts/Torture_in_international_law/YJqhEuqB">prohibited under international law</a> for all states <a href="/facts/Peremptory_norm/jTg4cjvU">under all circumstances</a> and is explicitly forbidden by several treaties. Opposition to torture stimulated the formation of the <a href="/facts/Human_rights_movement/29fspkhw">human rights movement</a> after <a href="/facts/World_War_II/2efV5L1U">World War II</a>, and it continues to be an important <a href="/facts/Human_rights/WMW5XCdM">human rights</a> issue. Although prevention efforts have been of mixed effectiveness, institutional reforms and the elimination of <a href="/facts/Incommunicado_detention/9hKI94ns">incommunicado detention</a> have had positive effects. Despite its decline, torture is still practiced in or by most countries.

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Torture