Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment

Cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (CIDT) is treatment of persons which is contrary to human rights or dignity, but is not classified as torture. It is forbidden by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, the United Nations Convention against Torture and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Although a distinction between torture and CIDT is maintained from a legal point of view, medical and psychological studies have found that this distinction is virtually nonexistent from a psychological point of view, and that people subjected to CIDT experience the same consequences as survivors of torture. Based on this research, some practitioners have recommended abolishing the distinction.