Agency - Advocates For Survivors Of Torture And Trauma

ASTT's mission is to alleviate the suffering of those who have experienced the trauma of torture, to educate the local, national, and world community about the needs of torture survivors, and to advocate on their behalf.

The vision of the volunteer program is to help survivors of torture and trauma regain hope and begin new lives in America.

Description:
The U.S. Government estimates that there are 400,000 torture survivors in the United States with approximately 40,000 in the Mid-Atlantic area alone. These survivors come from countries around the world that practice torture to maintain social control, suppress political opposition, enforce ethnic cleansing or induce terror in the population. Those victims who manage to escape do so with few resources and many needs. ASTT offers the specific kinds of treatments and social services that bring torture survivors hope and social adjustment services to begin new lives in American society.

ASTT offers linguistically and culturally appropriate psychotherapy from highly skilled therapists. ASTT offers social work services that help survivors find housing, employment, language services, schools, and medical and legal help. ASTT connects with dozens of agencies to provide services for torture survivors and many community volunteers who act as interpreters, pro bono lawyers, and mentors.

History:
At its inception, Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (ASTT) was a group of physicians, psychologists, social workers and human rights advocates who came together to find ways to help survivors of torture and trauma. We began in 1994 as a non-profit group, working to alleviate the suffering of those who have immigrated to this country after experiencing the horror and trauma of war and human rights abuses.

ASTT began with a few compassionate people: a woman who had worked for years in the camps of Cambodia, another who had worked in El Salvador, and a man who had worked at the torture treatment center in Minnesota. Since then, ASTT has grown dramatically in staff and in the services it provides.

Contact person: Maria Brown, Center Coordinator, (phone), (email)

Address:

431 East Belvedere Ave. Baltimore, MD 21212 (See a map)

Directions:

Nearest Bus Stop: MTA bus route 8 Northern Parkway and York Road, 1 minute walk