The State's only independent dedicated centre for survivors of torture is warning that cuts in EU funding could damage its services this year.
The Centre for the Care of Survivors of Torture in Dublin is relying on receiving core funding this year from Brussels to provide improved services to 650 torture survivors from countries which include Iraq and several African states.
However, a large reduction in the amount of money allocated for rehabilitation services under the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights has left the centre concerned that its planned application for core funding may be unsuccessful.
Mr Mike Walker, the centre's strategy and development officer, said failure to secure €300,000 towards its estimated budget for 2003 of €420,000 would put financial strain on the centre and prevent it from going ahead with plans to enhance its range of services.The European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, the leading donor for torture rehabilitation projects, last year decided to shift the emphasis of funding from rehabilitation to prevention.
In 2002, the funding allocated to rehabilitation was cut by 45 per cent compared to 2001, from €14.5 million to €8.2 million. As a result, 30 rehabilitation centres in central and eastern Europe, Africa, and Latin America are without EU support and face closure.
While the Dublin centre is not facing closure, Mr Walker said: "We are talking about whatever service we are providing at the moment, if we don't receive that level of core funding we will have to provide the service to more people and that will affect the amount of time we can give to individual clients, whatever about the quality. It would put the services under increased strain . . . resources are a continual challenge."