11 One client comments: “What pains me the most is that my family have nothing to survive on. Of course all these other things are painful. The most painful that is that even if I am to go back to my place, I have nowhere to start from”. Many held onto a belief in God and prayer and this helped them to cope. Others believed that talking with others believing in the same cause helped a great deal. The three women believed their responsibility was to worry about the care of the children and to ‘run the household’ - cook the food, ensure cleanliness and to comfort the family. Patterns The pattern of violence was most often that large numbers of youth who would attack the victim at night when he was either alone or with his family. Often the victim was abducted and physically and emotionally tortured. In many cases the victim’s home was destroyed usually by burning and the client was forced to flee from his/her home and village. We have taken an excerpt from one transcript that describes a client’s experience of the OVT. We found that this description was a strong theme throughout the transcripts. An excerpt from one narrative: PAIN When I came to Harare I was deeply in severe pain. If it was boiling water, it was at the boiling point of the pain. I still feel this severe pain even though I haven’t been harassed or tortured again. I think of those at home. I think of my mother and the pain she is going through. I think of the pain felt by those at home. I think of the destruction of my home. I think of the separation with my relatives, those whom I am not in touch with, the fear of going back to my rural home, my home where for the rest of my life I have been free to go to. I have no means and the freedom of doing all these things. The pain constantly calls again. I always find myself pondering over the pain. I only relax for a short time. The pain keeps on coming. No action was taken against these people. I know that it is legal that if someone does you wrong, you go and report to the police and the person is arrested if he deserves prosecution, but you find out that people keep on committing such acts, AMANI Trust: At the boiling point of the pain. Report of a pilot study examining the eficacy of psychotherapy for torture survivors.