Summer Intern Spotlight: Helping Survivors of Torture Find Strength

By Brittney Dunkins

From Egypt to Sri Lanka, incidents of torture across the globe continue to make front-page news. But Angela Chen—a sophomore studying international affairs at the George Washington University—found that she didn’t need to travel abroad to advocate for victims, because there are half a million victims of torture living right here in the U.S.

“I was even more surprised to learn that of the 500,000 survivors of torture in the U.S., nearly 40,000 are living in the D.C. metropolitan and mid-Atlantic area,” Ms. Chen said. “It’s easy to feel detached from the issue because it doesn’t seem like an American concept, but the numbers are astounding.”

As a summer intern at the D.C. office of nonprofit organization Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (ASTT), Ms. Chen works to support asylum-seekers as they assimilate to life in the U.S., from navigating the asylum process, participating in therapy and learning English to finding health care, a job and a place to live.

“Our mission is to alleviate the suffering of those who have experienced the trauma of torture, educate the community about the needs of torture survivors, and advocate for rights on their behalf,” Ms. Chen said. “When torture survivors come to the center, they typically have symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and we have psychologists, clinicians and case managers who help them build a new life.”

Though 92 percent of ASTT’s clients are from countries in Africa, the organization works with survivors fleeing from countries all over the world, including Peru, Burundi, Uzbekistan, Colombia, Albania and Afghanistan. Since 1994, ASTT has helped more than 51,000 people from more than 80 countries overcome the trauma caused by torture.

“The center pioneered a strength-based method of healing,” Ms. Chen said. “We believe that every individual has an inner strength that can help them recover.”

Ms. Chen said that 96 percent of ASTT clients find work in the D.C. community, and 80 percent pursue education or vocational training. Of those who return to school, 55 percent enter a helping profession, such as nursing or teaching.

She added that watching clients prioritize the well-being of others after their recovery is especially gratifying.

“I’ve heard so many heartbreaking cases, but when you see clients making progress and becoming active participants in the community, it is amazing, ” she said.

Hailing from Missouri, Ms. Chen was drawn to the Elliott School of International Affairs at GW because of a growing passion for learning about other cultures and the university’s location in the nation’s capital. She said that the flexibility of the academic program allows her to explore a range of cultures and consider myriad ways to make a difference in the world, whether through nonprofit, government or consulting work.

"Coming to GW has opened my mind to so many possibilities for my future career."?

- Angela Chen, rising sophomore and intern at D.C. based nonprofit organization Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma.?

After working with a refugee resettlement agency during her freshman year, Ms. Chen received a scholarship from the GW Career Services Council’s Knowledge in Action Career Internship Fund to supplement the unpaid internship experience at ASTT. She said that the experience has been a great way to use her international affairs coursework at a community level.

“When I was in high school I took one comparative politics class, but coming to GW has opened my mind to so many possibilities for my future career,” Ms. Chen said. “Last semester I took a course on the problems and prospects of Africa. I hadn’t learned much about it before the class, but having that knowledge as I work with people from Africa has been useful.”

Ms. Chen also pursued the public health side of international affairs during her freshman year, participating in GW’s chapter of GlobeMed. The grassroots organization connects 2,000 students on 55 campuses with international organizations to create community health projects for underserved populations around the world

GlobeMed at GW has formed a long-term partnership with the Rwanda Village Concept Project. Since 2007, they have rebuilt the Huye Health Clinic and raised $15,000 to expand the clinic’s Maternal Health Program.

During the spring 2014 semester, GlobeMed at GW established a partnership with Set Her Free, a nonprofit organization based in Uganda that works with women who were enslaved in the sex trade.

“Set Her Free provides girls and women who have left the sex trade with a place to stay, medical help and the tools to enable them to be financially independent,” Ms. Chen said. “I am excited to see where our partnership goes.”

Though Ms. Chen is only entering her sophomore year, she has worked with many international refugees and asylum seekers in the U.S. through internship and extracurricular experiences; however, she still has an itch to travel.

GW’s Office for Study Abroad offers more than 350 semester and year-long study abroad programs in more than 60 countries. In 2013, the office was selected by the Institute of International Education as one of the top 25 university study abroad programs in the nation.

“I’d like to study in Chile to continue learning Spanish during the first semester of my junior year and spend the second semester in Switzerland,” Ms. Chen said. “The program in Switzerland is focused on global public health, and I think it would be wonderful to meet people from the World Health Organization.”

For now, Ms. Chen is excited to continue her work with ASTT and open up the conversation about torture survivors in the U.S.

“Obviously, torture is not an easy topic of conversation,” Ms. Chen said. “But it happens so frequently around the world—sometimes at the hands of the government. I feel a responsibility to help the situation and, with a degree in international affairs, I plan to help in any way I can.”?

The Summer Intern Spotlight will run on George Washington Today over the course of several weeks to highlight the internship experiences of GW students as they pursue their academic passions through experiential learning.?