3 Background to the Study For the purpose of this report we will not be reviewing the rapidly deteriorating political situation in Zimbabwe. However, it does form the back-drop for the following report. In the last two years Zimbabwe has seen as escalating number of victims of organised violence and torture (OVT) 1. Since the Constitutional Referendum in February 2000 many violent acts on human life have been committed in the run up to the Presidential elections of March 2002. Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, hundreds have been physically and emotionally tortured and more than two hundred have died as a result. This is the context to the specific situation we now face. The effects of organised violence on the victims in the current crisis situation (preelection period) are not the only concern for Amani and the Mopane Group. There is also a shared concern for the long-term effects of widespread social violence in a country that has experienced three serious outbreaks of similar violence in the past three decades. Therefore our investigations are motivated by: 1. 2. 3. concern for crisis management of current victims; developing and implementing effective services for longer term care; participating with other organisations in identifying factors which contribute to repetitive outbreaks of violence of an extreme and repetitive nature. It was against this general background that Mopane undertook a pilot project for the Amani Trust. As a pilot, the aim of the study was not restricted to a specific research question. The study was designed as open ended and qualitative. However, within this general proviso, a number of research questions might be delineated. These included: There are a very large umber of reports that cover the organised violence and torture. See the following: Analysis of Zimbabwe Presidential Election, March 9th, 10th, and 11th 2002, in Terms of SADC Parliamentary Forum Electoral Recommendations, First Edition: 14 March 2002, AMANI TRUST (MATABELELAND), ZIMBABWE; NETWORK OF INDEPENDENT MONITORS, (KWAZULU NATAL) SOUTH AFRICA; PHYSICIANS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (DENMARK); AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL (2000), Zimbabwe: Terror tactics in the run-up to the parliamentary elections, June 2000, LONDON: AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL; IRCT (2000), Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe, Harare and Copenhagen, 6 th June 2000, COPENHAGEN: IRCT; IRCT/RCT (2001), Organised election violence in Zimbabwe 2001, COPENHAGEN: IRCT & RCT; IRCT (2001), Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe, Harare and Copenhagen, 24 May 2001, COPENHAGEN: IRCT; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (1998), A Consolidated Report on the Food Riots 19—23 January 1998, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum, (1999), Organised Violence and Torture in Zimbabwe in 1999, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2000), Who is responsible? A preliminary analysis of pre-election violence in Zimbabwe, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2000), Report on political violence in Bulawayo, Harare, Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Midlands, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2000, A report on Post-Election Violence, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2000), Report on Pre-election Political Violence in Mberengwa, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Report on Election-related Political Violence in Chikomba, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Human Rights and Zimbabwe’s June 2000 election, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Who was responsible? A consolidated analysis of pre-election violence in Zimbabwe, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe 2000–2001. A report on the campaign of political repression conducted by the Zimbabwean Government under the guise of carrying out land reform, HARARE: ZIMABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Evaluating the Abuja Agreement, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM; Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO Forum (2001), Evaluating the Abuja Agreement: Two Months Report, HARARE: ZIMBABWE HUMAN RIGHTS NGO FORUM. 1 AMANI Trust: At the boiling point of the pain. Report of a pilot study examining the eficacy of psychotherapy for torture survivors.