ESL Holiday Lessons.com: Day in Support of Torture Victims

THE READING / TAPESCRIPT

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was created by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors of torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into effect. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we pay our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of torture around the world”.

Torture is one of the biggest abuses of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one form or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be no end in sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed up to the Convention against Torture.

Sources: http://www.wikipedia.org/ and assorted sites.

PHRASE MATCH

Match the following phrases from the article.

Paragraph 1

1.	highlight the horrors	a.	effect
2	remember those who	b.	our respects
3.	came into	c.	survivors of torture
4.	a day on which we pay	d.	of torture
5.	speak up against the	e.	have been tortured
6.	the many victims and	f.	unspeakable

Paragraph 2

1.	Torture is one of the biggest	a.	the world
2	it is so common throughout	b.	a lifetime
3.	using torture, in one form	c.	abuses of human rights
4.	Their torture can continue for	d.	up to the Convention
5.	terrible ways of causing	e.	or another
6.	Only 105 countries have signed	f.	pain and abuse

LISTENING GAP FILL

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This __________________ the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors of torture and to remember __________________ tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” __________________. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which __________________ to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to __________________ unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting __________________ survivors of torture around the world”.

Torture is one __________________ of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so common throughout the world. Almost every country __________________ torture, in one form or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars. Their torture can ____________________, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up the most terrible __________________ and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation __________________ beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be __________________ this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed up to the Convention against Torture.

WHILE READING / LISTENING GAP FILL

Put the words into the gaps in the text.

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was __________ by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the __________ of torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention __________ Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into __________. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we pay our __________ to those who have __________ the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to __________ up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors of __________ around the world”.

endured
against
created
torture
respects
horrors
effect
speak

Torture is one of the biggest __________ of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so __________ throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one form or another. There are millions of victims __________ today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological __________. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up the most __________ ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific __________, sleep deprivation and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be no end in __________ to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have __________ up to the Convention against Torture.

alive
sight
common
terrible
abuses
signed
scars
cuts

CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD

Delete the wrong word in each of the pairs of italics.

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was creation / created by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors / horrific of torture and to remember those who have been tortures / tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into affect / effect. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we buy / pay our respects to those who have endured the / an unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak down / up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victimless / victims and survivors of torture around the world”.

Torture is one of the biggest abuses / abuse of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is such / so common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one from / form or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars / scar. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with worse / bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think up / on the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to be no end in vision / sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed down / up to the Convention against Torture.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was (1) ____ by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the horrors (2) ____ torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into (3) ____. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we (4) ____ our respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to (5) ____ up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and supporting the many victims and survivors (6) ____ torture around the world”.

Torture is one of the biggest abuses of human rights. The terrible (7) ____ is that it is so common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one (8) ____ or another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological scars. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with (9) ____ dreams and nightmares. Those who torture (10) ____ up the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific cuts, sleep deprivation and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight (11) ____ torture. There seems to be no end in sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have (12) ____ up to the Convention against Torture.

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	created	(b)	creative	(c)	creation	(d)	creates
2.	(a)	by	(b)	for	(c)	of	(d)	at
3.	(a)	affect	(b)	effective	(c)	effect	(d)	affects
4.	(a)	buy	(b)	pay	(c)	lend	(d)	sell
5.	(a)	turn	(b)	volume	(c)	shout	(d)	speak
6.	(a)	of	(b)	for	(c)	by	(d)	from
7.	(a)	thing	(b)	this	(c)	though	(d)	that
8.	(a)	forms	(b)	form	(c)	farm	(d)	from
9.	(a)	worse	(b)	poor	(c)	bad	(d)	not good
10.	(a)	reflect	(b)	believe	(c)	opinion	(d)	think
11.	(a)	back	(b)	off	(c)	for	(d)	against
12.	(a)	singed	(b)	signed	(c)	drawn	(d)	penned

SPELLING

Spell the jumbled words (from the text) correctly.

Paragraph 1
1.	This day was edcetra by the United Nations
2.	the rrorhos of torture
3.	came into cffete
4.	we pay our ecstrsep
5.	an ncocoisa for the world to speak up
6.	victims and ivovsusrr of torture
Paragraph 2
7.	one of the biggest uebass of human rights
8.	so oomcnm throughout the world
9.	millions of tmicivs alive today
10.	bad dreams and nrsehgtami
11.	the fight agistan torture
12.	this inhumane rtettmnae of others

PUT THE TEXT BACK TOGETHER

Number these lines in the correct order.

( )	scars. Their torture can continue for a lifetime, with bad dreams and nightmares. Those who torture think
( )	up the most terrible ways of causing pain and abuse. This includes rape, electrocution, burns, horrific
( 1 )	June the 26th is International Day in Support of Torture Victims. This day was created by the United Nations General
( )	respects to those who have endured the unimaginable. This is an occasion for the world to speak
( )	Assembly to highlight the horrors of torture and to remember those who have been tortured. June 26 is the
( )	another. There are millions of victims alive today, bearing terrible physical, emotional and psychological
( )	common throughout the world. Almost every country is accused of using torture, in one form or
( )	cuts, sleep deprivation and near-lethal beatings. There is still a long way to go in the fight against torture. There seems to
( )	supporting the many victims and survivors of torture around the world”.
( )	be no end in sight to this inhumane treatment of others. Only 105 countries have signed up to the Convention against Torture.
( )	effect. Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan explained: “This is a day on which we pay our
( )	day the “Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment” came into
( )	up against the unspeakable.” He said the day is “dedicated to remembering and
( )	Torture is one of the biggest abuses of human rights. The terrible thing is that it is so

SCRAMBLED SENTENCES

With a partner, put the words back into the correct order.

1.	created was day This Nations United the by
2.	have who those remember tortured been
3.	which our is on pay This day we respects a
4.	the for occasion an up speak to world
5.	survivors world the around torture of
6.	is the of Torture of abuses rights one biggest human
7.	every is of torture country accused using
8.	lifetime torture continue a Their can for
9.	to way long a still is There go
10.	signed have countries 105 Only up

DISCUSSION (Write your own questions)

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)
1.	________________________________________________________
2.	________________________________________________________
3.	________________________________________________________
4.	________________________________________________________
5.	________________________________________________________
6.	________________________________________________________

THE DAY IN SUPPORT OF TORTURE VICTIMS SURVEY

Write five questions about Day in Support of Torture Victims in the table. Do this in pairs/groups. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper.

Without your partner, interview other students. Write down their answers.

	STUDENT 1 _____________	STUDENT 2 _____________	STUDENT 3 _____________
Q.1.
Q.2.
Q.3.
Q.4.
Q.5.

Return to your original partner(s) and share and talk about what you found out. Make mini-presentations to other groups on your findings.

WRITING

Write about Day in Support of Torture Victims for 10 minutes. Show your partner your paper. Correct each other’s work.

______________________________________________________________________________

HOMEWORK

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose several of the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations of each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about Day in Support of Torture Victims. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) in the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE: Write a magazine article about Day in Support of Torture Victims. Write about what happens around the world. Include two imaginary interviews with people who did something on this day.

Read what you wrote to your classmates in the next lesson. Give each other feedback on your articles.

4. POSTER: Make your own poster about Day in Support of Torture Victims. Write about what will happen on this day around the world.