This convention was adopted by the UN assembly in 1984 and came into force in 1987. UNCAT is a human rights treaty that helps states respond to torture and any ill-treatment and encourages better conduct. It bans the use of any degrading treatments. As of June 2020, the convention has 170 state parties.

CAT allows for no circumstances or emergencies where torture could be permitted. In many places, torture and cruelty are used to oppress and control many. Usually, it’s the powerful vs vulnerable which needs to be eliminated.

The convention aims to guarantee freedom from any forms of ill-treatment.

The UNCAT requires governments to take effective and meaningful measures to prevent torture in each state and territory. These laws and policies are placed to prevent the risk of abuse, to allow the communities to live in peace.

In article one, torture is defined as:

“Any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him.”

There are 33 articles of UNCAT which describe the obligations in total.

You can read the full list of articles on the UN’s website here.