Loyola University, Baltimore, MD, USA. Correspondence to:
Refugees As Survivors (RASNZ), Auckland, New Zealand. Correspondence to
Torture. 2023;33(2):102-118. doi: 10.7146/torture.v33i2.136319.
Despite facing many challenges, some survivors of torture seeking asylum in the U.S. have courageously engaged in advocacy efforts to bring attention to human rights issues relevant to their own personal experiences. This study sought to add to our understanding of the characteristics of survivors who engage in advocacy in comparison with those who do not.
We analyzed demographic, social, and psychological quantitative data collected from survivors (n=730) connected to a support agency that regularly facilitates advocacy events using between-groups t-tests and regression analyses. Based on theory, clinical insights, and past research around survivor advocacy we predicted that participation in advocacy would be associated with and predicted by factors indicating lower levels of trauma-related symptoms and higher social power and stability.
We found no significant difference in clinical symptoms or most demographic or social characteristics between advocacy participants (n=75) and non-participants. However, advocacy participants had spent significantly more time in the U.S. and were less likely to have had employment authorization at time of service intake, and were more likely to be male, compared to non-participants. Without controlling for other demographic factors, higher spirituality and not having been detained at entry to the U.S. also predicted advocacy participation.
Our findings suggest that, despite some patterns of difference indicating greater stability and access to power (e.g., being male, having more time in the U.S., more daytime availability, a strong sense of spirituality, and less experience of detention in the U.S.), survivor-advocates are diverse and not consistently differentiated from non-advocates by specific characteristics. Thus, we find no evidence to support using psychological or demographic indicators as a "screening" criterion for selecting advocacy candidates. We contend that it is important to adopt a gender-inclusive approach in providing wider opportunities that help more survivors overcome potential (racial, socio-economic, mental health, etc.) barriers to engagement, and to pay close attention to who is being left out of advocacy opportunities.
尽管面临许多挑战，但一些寻求在美国避难的酷刑幸存者勇敢地开展了宣传工作，以引起人们对与自己个人经历相关的人权问题的关注。本研究旨在增进我们对参与宣传活动的幸存者与不参与宣传活动的幸存者特征的了解。
我们分析了从与一家经常协助举办宣传活动的支持机构联系的幸存者（n=730）那里收集到的人口统计学、社会和心理定量数据，使用组间 t 检验和回归分析。基于理论、临床见解和过去有关幸存者宣传的研究，我们预测，参与宣传活动与较低的创伤相关症状和较高的社会权力和稳定性因素有关，并可由这些因素预测。
我们没有发现宣传活动参与者（n=75）与非参与者之间在临床症状或大多数人口统计学或社会特征方面有显著差异。然而，与非参与者相比，宣传活动参与者在美国的时间明显更长，在服务受理时获得就业授权的可能性更小，而且更有可能是男性。在不控制其他人口统计学因素的情况下，更高的精神信仰和没有在美国入境时被拘留也预测了参与宣传活动。
我们的研究结果表明，尽管存在一些表明更大稳定性和获得权力的模式差异（例如，男性、在美国的时间更长、白天的时间更多、强烈的精神信仰和在美国被拘留的经历较少），但幸存者宣传者是多样化的，并不总是因其特定特征与非宣传者区分开来。因此，我们没有证据支持使用心理或人口统计学指标作为选择宣传候选人的“筛选”标准。我们认为，采用性别包容的方法提供更广泛的机会很重要，这有助于更多的幸存者克服参与的潜在障碍（种族、社会经济、心理健康等），并密切关注哪些人被排除在宣传机会之外。
