Utbildningsmodul Migrationsverket - Svenska Röda Korset

illegal detention and torture in Solero is the total lack of accountability for
perpetrators. The perpetrators themselves try to ensure that their abuses do
not come to light by threatening their victims into silence. Indeed, few victims
or witnesses dare to report instances of torture to the authorities, such as
the prosecutor’s office, and in many cases refuse to speak to human rights
organizations.
Prosecutors and courts took no action to bring the perpetrators to justice.
In particular, some torture cases the injuries were documented by doctors and
these documents were presented during court hearings. The courts, however,
appeared to disregard this evidence altogether, and took no action to ensure
that the allegations of torture were duly investigated and the perpetrators held
to account.
UNHCR
According to the experience of UNHCR regarding single women and their
protection by the state, it is generally true that people rely very much on their
relatives for support. Women who have lost their husbands or have been divorced
usually go back to their own families and are protected to a certain extent. But
this does not necessarily mean that they will be able to lead a normal life devoid
of specific difficulties like property issues, housing, childcare etc. Widows or
divorced women may be remarried by their relatives, but normally they are
considered ’second class women’ and thus not very popular brides.
Domestic violence is considered a private issue related to the clan structure
of the regional society and therefore is hardly ever reported to UNHCR or
other institutions. Usually such cases are solved under the terms of cultural
traditions, which make it difficult to tell how widespread this problem actually
is. The usual way to deal with rape or kidnapping of young women is to marry
the couple and not to consider the act as a crime any more.
US State Department
There were numerous reports of government and societal human rights
problems and abuses in Catalia during the year. Security forces reportedly
engaged in killings, torture, abuse, violence, and other brutal or humiliating
treatment, often with impunity. In Solero, security forces were allegedly
involved in unlawful killings and politically motivated abductions. Federal
and local security forces continued to act with impunity, especially in targeting
families of suspected insurgents. Domestic and international human rights
groups operated in the country, investigating and publicly commenting on
human rights problems, but official harassment continued, and the operating
environment for these groups was restricted.
Violence against women and children were problems, and domestic violence
was widespread. Rape is illegal, and the criminal code makes no special
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