CRPD/C/22/D/24/2014 8.5 As regards the author’s allegations under article 15 (1) of the Convention, the Committee notes the author’s argument that the acts that she suffered amount to torture, violence and abuse, which the State party has failed to effectively and promptly investigate and punish. The Committee further notes the State party’s submission that it has taken appropriate measures to address attacks on persons with albinism and to prosecute those responsible, that additional measures have been taken to expedite the adjudication of cases and that these vigorous measures have contributed to the reduction in attacks against and killings of persons with albinism. 8.6 The Committee recalls that under article 15 (1) of the Convention, no one is to be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The Committee also recalls that, according to article 1 of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, “the term ‘torture’ means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity”. The Committee further recalls that the violent acts suffered by the author were perpetrated by private individuals, and that, as such, they cannot be seen as constituting acts of torture. Nonetheless, the Committee also recalls that the obligation of States parties to prevent and punish torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment applies to acts committed by both State and non-State actors.35 Expedition and effectiveness are particularly important in the adjudication of such cases. The Committee also considers that the suffering experienced by the author, owing to the lack of action by the State party in order to allow the effective prosecution of the suspected perpetrators of the crime, has become a cause of revictimization, and as such amounts to psychological torture or illtreatment. In the light of these considerations, the Committee concludes that, in the circumstances of the present case, the State party has violated the author’s rights under article 15 (1) of the Convention. 36 8.7 The Committee recalls that under article 16 (4) of the Convention, States parties must take all appropriate measures to promote the physical, cognitive and psychological recovery, rehabilitation and social reintegration of persons with disabilities who become victims of any form of exploitation, violence or abuse, including through the provision of protection services, and that such recovery and reintegration must take place in an environment that fosters the health, welfare, self-respect, dignity and autonomy of the person and takes into account gender- and age-specific needs. The Committee observes that at the time of the attack, the author was a 28-year-old woman, the mother of one child and pregnant with another child. She was working as a farmer and was self-sufficient. Nonetheless, according to the information provided by the parties, the competent authorities have not taken any measures to provide the author with assistance for her rehabilitation and reintegration. For these reasons, the Committee finds that, in the circumstances of the present case, the State party has violated the author’s rights under article 16 of the Convention. 8.8 The Committee recalls that under article 17 of the Convention, every person with disabilities has a right to respect for his or her physical and mental integrity on an equal basis with others. It also recalls that the right to integrity of the person is based on what it means to be a person; it is linked to the idea of human dignity and that each person’s physical and mental space should be protected; it includes the prohibition of physical and mental torture and inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment, as well as a wide range of less grave forms of interference with a person’s body and mind.37 The Committee 35 36 37 Human Rights Committee, general comment No. 20 (1992) on the prohibition of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, para. 13. See, for example, Durić v. Bosnia and Herzegovina (CCPR/C/111/D/1956/2010), paras. 9.6–9.7; Yrusta and del Valle Yrusta v. Argentina, para. 10.8; and X v. United Republic of Tanzania, (CRPD/C/18/D/22/2014), para. 8.6. X v. United Republic of Tanzania, para. 8.7. 13