Feature Story

A DOW volunteer examines a Human Rights
Clinic client in New York

Torture remains a common practice in over 150 countries worldwide.  In 2004, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimated that 27,900 survivors sought refuge in the US from further persecution.  Many survivors have been tortured and persecuted because of their sexual orientation or because they have HIV/AIDS.  Jose, a gay man with HIV from Venezuela, is one such survivor who recently sought assistance at the Human Rights Clinic of Doctors of the World – USA in New York City.  Jose had lost his family, friends and job because of his sexual orientation and HIV status. 

Jose’s parents abused him — his mother threatened him with a knife saying that she would rather he was dead than a “faggot” — and both parents cut off contact with Jose.  On his own, Jose was frequently harassed by police.  In response to a robbery, police officers beat Jose and others in a gay nightclub, then took Jose into custody without cause, humiliated him, and facilitated his rape by other inmates. 

This was just the beginning of Jose’s torment.  His continual harassment included theft and blackmail by the police, who stole his medications when they discovered he was HIV-positive.  They called his home threatening to tell his employer that he was gay and HIV-positive.  Increasingly, Jose was abused and mocked at work.  When he tried to address the abuse, his employer fired him, telling him it was because of his sexuality and HIV status.  Jose finally decided that he had no choice but to leave his home country for the United States, where sexual orientation would not condemn him to a life of persecution.

Through DOW’s HRC, a volunteer psychiatrist examined Jose and affirmed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.  With the support of the psychiatrist’s affidavit, Jose was granted asylum in the fall of 2004 and now lives in New York.  He regularly attends appointments with a psychiatrist, social worker, and an HIV care provider, and is part of several community groups and grassroots campaigns promoting health and equality.