Mexico: The consequences of torture persist for years without timely care
MSF calls for the provision of comprehensive and timely care for survivors of violence.
Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warns about the consequences of delayed medical care and calls on authorities to ensure timely, dignified and specialized services for survivors.
In Mexico, survivors of torture and extreme violence face prolonged delays in accessing medical and psychological care, which worsens and makes their aftereffects chronic, hindering their recovery. Despite the severity of these experiences, numerous obstacles continue to restrict access to specialized services and, in many cases, prevent people from receiving the care they urgently need. In response, MSF calls for the provision of comprehensive, timely and culturally appropriate care for survivors of torture and extreme violence, while removing the administrative, economic, documentation-related, linguistic, cultural and institutional barriers that continue to restrict access to specialized support.
“Torture does not end when the aggression stops,” says Violeta Chapela, medical advisor at the comprehensive care centre (CAI) run by MSF in Mexico City. “Its effects can last for months, years, or a lifetime.”
Since 2017, MSF has provided multidisciplinary care at the centre, including medical, psychological and social support for survivors of torture and extreme violence. However, many people arrive long after the acts of violence occur. The lack of timely care not only delays recovery processes but also deepens the impact of violence on physical, mental and social health.
Data from the CAI clearly reflects these delays. During 2025, 112 cases of violence were reported and treated. Of those, 48.2 per cent reported having experienced a violent event between four and 12 months before their first consultation, while 23.2 per cent said it had occurred more than a year earlier. Only a minority received care within the first few weeks. In total, that year MSF provided 7,181 medical consultations, psychological sessions and social work interventions, demonstrating the complexity of treatments, the magnitude of needs and the gaps in early access.
“Even after extreme violence, it is possible to regain dignity, rebuild a life project, and look to the future with hope.”
Violeta Chapela, medical advisor
Behind these delays are barriers that limit access to care: fear, mistrust of institutions, stigma and lack of information, in addition to administrative, economic, documentation-related, linguistic and cultural obstacles. These challenges also affect indigenous communities, who face services that are not available in their language or adapted to their context, while Haitian and other mobile communities encounter language barriers, isolation and a lack of awareness of available services. Many also avoid seeking care due to previous experiences of violence or discrimination.
At the CAI, MSF treats people living with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and complex trauma, as well as others with deep difficulties in rebuilding trust. Many have survived kidnapping, sexual violence, physical assault or threats. These experiences affect not only the physical body but also the way people relate to their environment and their ability to rebuild a life plan.
In this context, specialized, free and confidential care is essential. “Having access to comprehensive care services is key for individuals to begin their recovery process,” says Chapela. At the CAI, MSF offers multidisciplinary services — medical, psychological and social work — as well as collective spaces aimed at rebuilding trust. This approach makes it possible to support sustained recovery processes beyond immediate care.
The need for these services is part of a broader context. According to the Global Torture Index 2025, Mexico is classified as a country at “high risk of torture and ill-treatment,” with 2,881 documented cases between 2019 and 2024 and at least 3,506 survivors. This reflects a persistent issue affecting both the local communities, migrants and internally displaced persons.
Despite the severity of these experiences, recovery is possible when adequate conditions exist. “Even after extreme violence, it is possible to regain dignity, rebuild a life project and look to the future with hope,” Chapela says.
Gerardo*, a CAI patient, describes it in personal terms: “It has been a difficult process, but little by little I started to see changes. I realized there is a way forward. Now I feel like I am starting over. A new me.”
*Names have been changed to protect identity
