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ABOUT OUR CLIENTS

Who are torture survivors?
Where are survivors in San Diego from?
What are the gender and ages of clients?
Does SURVIVORS serve domestic abuse victims?
What is the legal status of our clients?
What is a refugee?
What is an asylum-seeker?

Who are torture survivors?
Most torture survivors are resilient individuals, many of whom were professionals and leaders in their homelands. They often excelled in fields such as education, medicine, government, business, agriculture and community leadership. Many were targeted for persecution by their governments for what they thought, said, or did.

Others were tortured as a way of punishing family members or associates accused of opposition political activities. Some were members of persecuted religious, ethnic, national, or social groups.

Others were in the wrong place at the wrong time, tortured as part of a government’s campaign to terrorize and intimidate whole populations.

Where are survivors in San Diego from?

Torture survivors have fled for safety from regions across the globe including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Latin America. Since 1997, the largest communities of survivors in San Diego have come from the Middle East and Africa.

How many torture survivors live in San Diego?
Approximately 11,000 torture survivors live in San Diego County. This estimate is based on data gathered locally and statistical information of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and other international agencies.

What are the gender and ages of clients?
Approximately 60% of SURVIVORS' clients are male, and 40% are female. Children are about 10% of our clients. Ages range from one to 80, although the majority of our clients are 20 to 40 years old.

Does SURVIVORS serve domestic abuse victims?
No. SURVIVORS is the only organization in San Diego County that exclusively serves the victims of politically-motivated torture from other countries. Other agencies in San Diego County provide services to victims of domestic violence.

What is the legal status of our clients?
Survivors of Torture, International provides services for any torture survivor, including refugees, asylum-seekers and asylees. Individuals in all of these categories have left their countries in pursuit of safety, but there are some important legal differences between the terms.

What is a refugee?
A refugee is a person who has left his or her country because of a well-founded fear of persecution or death based on race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. An individual gains the legal status of “refugee” outside the United States, usually in camps that are set up in countries neighboring the country of turmoil. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that there are 8.4 million refugees worldwide.

Most refugees return to their countries when peace returns to the region, but sometimes the violence or instability lasts too long and “well-founded fear” remains. A fraction of the world’s refugees resettle in a third country, such as the U.S. or Australia.

Each year, the President sets a target for refugee admissions. For 2007, the target is 70,000 refugees. While it usually falls short of this target, the U.S. resettles more refugees than any other nation. These individuals often come without any personal possessions, and without knowing anyone. Nonprofit organizationslike the International Rescue Committee (IRC) help the U.S. resettle refugees here. Refugees may apply for legal permanent resident status one year after being admitted as a refugee.

What is an asylum-seeker?
An asylum-seeker is also a person fleeing persecution, but individuals in this category have had to flee their countries quickly or have otherwise been unable to access the refugee resettlement process. After long and difficult journeys from their homes, they arrive at ports of entry like New York City or San Diego via the Mexico-U.S. border. With little or no documentation, some of these individuals are immediately deported in a procedure known as expedited removal. Others proceed through a legal process that can take months or even years. Many torture survivors are asylum-seekers.

Asylum may be granted after a hearing before an immigration judge or an interview by an officer from the Department of Homeland Security. If the individual can prove a well-founded fear of persecution, he or she can be granted asylum. There are no limits to the number of individuals who may be granted asylum, but a recent report from the Transactional Records Access Clearing House showed that 69% of applicants are denied. Anyone who poses a threat to national security is barred from receiving asylum, as well as anyone who has committed acts of terrorism, human rights abuses, or other serious crimes.

After being granted asylum, an asylum-seeker becomes an asylee. An asylee can apply to work in the U.S. and may petition to bring a spouse and/or children to the U.S. After one year, the asylee and his or her family can apply to become legal permanent residents. This process may be delayed several months or years because 25,000 - 45,000 asylees apply for permanent resident status each year.