Chess and torture

When I was 18 I went to Nepal for a few months before I fell into medical school. At one stage, I loafed around Pokhara for a few weeks soaking up the atmosphere trying to screw up the courage to venture out into the ulu and meet the real Nepal. Pokhara (being substantially less developed in those days) was a single dusty road hugging Phewa Tal and it was dotted with shopkeepers in their improvised shacks eeking out a living. I played chess with them for hours and during these games the extreme material difference in our lives was stripped away for a brief time.

So I immediately had a flash of recognition when I recently read that the Medical Foundation for the care of victims of torture run chess groups for their victims. If you are darn sarf you can volunteer here. It is a very small part of a multitude of activities and services they run across their centres in London, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester.

It feels impossible to write a few words about the horror of torture without sounding glib. I wondered about whether to contrast a recent patient with one of the stories on the site but it feels crass. As a cossetted GP in the UK some of the issues are almost incomprehensible.

I find most mission statements to be utterly vacuous but how can you argue with this?

The Medical Foundation vision
Our vision: "The Medical Foundation desires a world where torture and organised violence have been vanquished and where their lasting consequences are recognised and redressed."
Our mission: "The Medical Foundation is a human rights organisation that exists to enable survivors of torture and organised violence to engage in a healing process to assert their own human dignity and worth. Our concern for the health and well-being of torture survivors and their families is directed towards providing medical and social care, practical assistance, and psychological and physical therapy. It is also our mission to raise public awareness about torture and its consequences."

I will continue to (not so) quietly support this admirable organisation. And if you fancy playing me at chess there is a link on the right where I can be challenged.