*The subject’s name has been changed to protect her privacy

Mana: Torture Survivor

For 35 years, Mana* was a landscape architect in the Middle East. Though her position as a female professional was uncommon, Mana’s career flourished, and she traveled extensively making parks and green spaces throughout the country. "I loved my work," she says.

In 1997, many municipal employees in her home town were arrested for political reasons. Mana was one of them. For 18 months, she was imprisoned and tortured. "I was in solitary all the time. I was like a blind person. I lost that time. I didn’t have any news from my family. As a single mother, I didn’t know the situation of my two kids.

"They tortured me physically. The food was rubbish, you cannot imagine. For example, if the food was soup, it was only a dirty liquid. If it was a potato, it was full of sand and dust, they didn’t wash it." Mana became seriously ill, and was not allowed to take her medicine. "I was in a really critical health situation, and it got worse and worse from the lack of cleanliness, the lack of light, the lack of nutrition." Finally, Mana became so ill that she was sent to the district hospital. "This was my chance to escape."

Mana managed to escape to Turkey, then moved to the Netherlands. She stayed in refugee camps that she describes as "even worse than prison." After four years, she was accepted to the United States as a refugee. In 2002 she arrived in San Diego, where local organization Surviviors of Torture, International has helped her start a new life here.

Torture, defined as any act which intentionally inflicts severe physical or mental suffering, occurs in at least 150 countries, according to Amnesty International reports. It is illegal under U.S. and international law. Over half a million torture survivors live in the United States, including 11,000 in San Diego County.

Survivors, founded in 1997, works to provide torture victims with the basic needs and professional care to help rebuild their lives. The organization has worked with more than 650 torture survivors from more than 55 countries. Housing, medical, dental, psychiatric, psychological, and legal services are offered, as well as English language education, and other case-by-case needs, such as new eyeglasses, or public transportation instructions.

Through Survivors Mana has received medical and psychiatric care, as well as found a place to live. Mana says that Survivors and other humanitarian organizations "are the only way that we can survive and adjust in this country. I think that Survivors is my family, my second home. If they didn’t accept me and help me, I could have committed suicide or gone crazy. And it’s not only me. There are many, many victims of torture who can get treatment, get lawyers."

But still, the aftermath of her arrest and torture is painful. Panic attacks, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder. Though her daughter came with her, Mana is separated from her son. "I don’t dare call my son directly, because maybe they will listen to his telephone. Sometimes we email each other and contact each other very secretly." Even her new friends here in the U.S. do not know of her background of imprisonment and torture. "I am so scared, I have to keep it all secret because I don’t want to cause problems for my family." She knows of many situations in which dissidents’ family members have been killed.

Mana is now a teacher in a Middle Eastern school here in San Diego. She also works at an organization for immigrant victims of domestic violence. She is thankful to be here, and feels fortunate to have escaped, though many of her peers did not. "Most of them are in prison, executed, or have a very bad situation. Many, many educated women, innocent people, are tortured- for nothing. I am the luckiest one that I am here and talking to you." — JJ Hall

Year Founded: 1997

Overall Mission: To be a healing resource for survivors of torture and their families; to raise awareness among the general public and educate professional communities about torture; and to be an instrument to end torture.

Current Funding Objectives: To provide direct services such as medical, mental health, and case management to clients; determine the approximate number of survivors of torture in California; and educate the public about the effects of torture on the survivor, their families, and the community.

Donation Administration Cost Ratio: 8 percent toward administration, 82 percent toward programs.

Organization’s Biggest Challenge: Being able to meet the multiple needs of the large and growing population of survivors of torture in San Diego so they can become fully integrated and productive members of the community.

Contact Information: 619/278-2400, www.notorture.org