Stopping the torture trade

Torturers are not born, they are nurtured, trained and supported. In many countries they rely on foreign governments for the tools of their trade and expertise in how to use them. Some governments are directly involved in the torture trade;other prefer to turn a blind eye. Few have shown the political will to put an end to this trade whose profits are built on the suffering of countless torture victims. Some of the tools of the torturer's trade seem almost medieval - shackles, leg irons, thumbscrews, handcuffs and whips. However, in recent years there has been a marked expansion in the manufacture, trade and use of other kinds of technology used by security and police forces, especially electro-shock technology. New research for this report has shown that the number of countries worldwide known to be producing or supplying electro-shock equipment had risen from 30 in the 1980s to more than 130 by 2000. In October 2000 Amnesty International launched a worldwide campaign against torture, Take a step to stamp out torture. This report, which is released as part of the anti-torture campaign, aims to mobilize people around the world to put pressure on governments and on companies to stop the torture trade.