good governance practices for the protection of human rights

quently led to physical and psychological injury which either proved irreversible
or required long-term treatment. Second, the injury had often been aggravated
by discrimination in employment and in society, which deprived victims of their
livelihoods so they could not afford health care for themselves and their families.
This situation continued even after the return to civilian rule.
Design
The first impetus for the creation of PRAIS was given by the discovery in 1990
of a mass grave near the town of Iquique, which was used as a detention centre
during the dictatorship. In response, the Ministry of Health implemented a programme
providing health care to the relatives of victims in several neighbouring
cities. Subsequently and following a recommendation of the National Commission
on Truth and Reconciliation, PRAIS was officially created in 1991, and operated
until 1993 with international financing. The Ministry of Health took over its
financing in 1993.
PRAIS has two main aims. First, it offers free access to the public health-care system
to directly affected persons, including those who have gone through a traumatic
experience, and the members of their immediate family. Second, it offers free
specialized mental health care by teams of psychologists, psychiatrists, nurses and
social workers with experience in treating victims of repression and violence.
The beneficiaries of PRAIS include close blood relations (parents and siblings) and
people with whom the victim lived (spouse, partner and other dependants). Human
rights activists who provided assistance to persons directly affected by the repression
also qualify. The definition of a repressive or traumatic experience covers abduction
with disappearance, execution for political reasons, physical and/or psychological
torture, detention on political grounds, exile and return, banishment, dismissal on
political grounds, and going into hiding owing to political persecution. These events
must have occurred between September 1973 and March 1990.
Implementation
Since the early 1990s, 15 PRAIS teams have been established throughout the
country. Mental health care has been provided through specialized teams with
experience in treating victims of human rights abuses. The PRAIS teams working
within the national health-care system have created facilities for the reception and
care of the victims to evaluate the degree of injury and develop psychotherapeutic
treatment, and refer these patients to other health-care services. As part of the
treatment, patients play an active role in their rehabilitation by participating in selfhelp
and social reintegration activities. PRAIS has maintained close relationships
with human rights organizations and victims’ organizations working to obtain reparations
for the victims and their social reintegration. Collaboration has included
technical exchanges and referrals.
By 2003, the number of beneficiaries had risen to over 180,000. In addition,
there was a substantial increase in the number of applications for the treatment
of mental health problems. This increase is closely linked to the greater aware-
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