Physicians for Human Rights will conduct a training for health professionals on April 9, 2011 in Houston, Texas.  The program is titled, Aiding Immigrant Survivors of Torture and Other Human Rights Abuses: Physical and Psychological Documentation of Trauma.  It aims to instruct health professionals on the skills necessary to perform physical and psychological evaluations of survivors of human rights abuses:

PHR’s volunteer network of over 400 health professionals assists survivors of human rights abuses by conducting forensic psychological and physical evaluations to document evidence of torture and abuse. Our clinicians have specialized training and expertise in recognizing and documenting the trauma of conflict, displacement, abuse, discrimination, and oppression—issues at the heart of many humanitarian relief applications. The medical-legal affidavits that they submit to courts on behalf of survivors are frequently the determining factor when judges grant asylum or other relief from deportation.

I often use reports from health professionals to help bolster my cases, particularly where there are physical scars caused by torture, so I can attest to the value of such reports to asylum seekers.  A well-written report can often sway the fact finder and help a client gain asylum. 

For those interested in the training, more information is available here.