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Estimating the Costs of Torture: Challenges and Opportunities

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Abstract

Due to its nature, extent and consequences, torture is considered a major public health problem and a serious violation of human rights. Our study aims to set the foundation for a theoretical framework of the costs related to torture. It examines existing challenges and proposes some solutions. Our proposed framework targets policy makers, human rights activists, professionals working in programmes, centres and rehabilitation projects, judges and lawyers, survivors of torture and their families and anyone involved in the prevention and fight against this practice and its consequences. We adopted a methodology previously used in studies investigating the challenges in measuring and valuing productivity costs in health disorders. We identify and discuss conceptual, methodological, political and ethical challenges that studies on the economic and social costs of torture pose and propose alternatives in terms of possible solutions to these challenges. The economic dimension of torture is rarely debated and integrated in research, policies and programmes. Several challenges such as epistemological, methodological, ethical or political ones have often been presented as obstacles to cost studies of torture and as an excuse for not investigating this dimension. In identifying, analysing and proposing solutions to these challenges, we intend to stimulate the integration of the economic dimension in research and prevention of torture strategies.

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Notes

  1. Note, for the purposes of this article, ‘host countries’ are considered countries where survivors of torture are taken as refugees.

  2. Hansen et al. [71] referring to the costs of home-based care for HIV/AIDS patients in Zimbabwe. For more information on the hours of informal care for dementia for example, the reader can refer to Wimo et al. ‘ The worldwide societal costs of dementia: Estimates for 2009’ [72] Qualitative studies (Nnko et al. 2000 [73]; Lindsey et al. [74]; Chimwaza and Watkins [75]) show that caregivers spend between 3–12 h per day caring for bedridden patients, while caring for incontinent patients or patients suffering from diarrhoea requires caregivers to be on standby 24 h a day to change nappies and soiled clothes (Nnko et al. [73]; HelpAge International [76]; Akintola [77]; Orner [78] referred to in Akintola [70]).

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Author contributions

This study was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Authors EKM and PC designed the study. NKK and TKF managed data collection and literature search. EKM, PC and HV wrote the manuscript. NKZB and JHR completed supplemental literature search and critical revisions. Overall responsibility EKM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Community Health and Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Global Health, University of Geneva, Campus Biotech, Chemin des Mines 9, 1211, Geneva 20, Switzerland

    Emmanuel Kabengele Mpinga & Jennifer Hasselgård-Rowe

  2. Health Economics and Evidence Synthesis Research Unit, Department of Population Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Strassen, Luxembourg

    Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala

  3. Department of Mathematics and Information sciences, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala

  4. Departement of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Systems, Institut Supérieur des Techniques Médicales, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

    Félicien Tshimungu Kandolo

  5. Department of Health Sciences La Source, University of Applied Sciences, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Henk Verloo

  6. Department of Public Health Sciences, Wichita state University, Wichita, USA

    Ngoyi K. Zacharie Bukonda

  7. Public Health Schweiz, Berne, Switzerland

    Philippe Chastonay

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  1. Emmanuel Kabengele Mpinga
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Correspondence to Emmanuel Kabengele Mpinga.

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All seven authors of this paper: Emmanuel Kabengele Mpinga (EKM), Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala (NBK), Jennifer Hasselgård-Rowe (JHR), Tshimungu Kandolo Félicien (TKF), Henk Verloo (HV), Ngoyi K. Zacharie Bukonda (KKZB), Philippe Chastonay (PC), each declare that they have no conflict of interests in this work.

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Mpinga, E.K., Kandala, NB., Hasselgård-Rowe, J. et al. Estimating the Costs of Torture: Challenges and Opportunities. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 13, 567–581 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40258-015-0196-z

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