Welcome to the home page of Advocates for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (ASTT). We are based in Baltimore, Maryland, and operate a satellite office in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Wheaton. (Click here for directions to either office.)
From its inception in 1993, ASTT has seen more than 1000 victims of torture. In its first few years, ASTT was only able to see around 50 clients until we received Office of Refugee Resettlement funding for the 2001-2002 fiscal year. This increase in funding more than doubled the number of clients we could see. With additional donors, we have been able to increase our client number to approximately 200 per year. Unfortunately, this is still just a small percentage of clients compared to the estimated 40,000 survivors living in the Baltimore/ DC area.
Karen Hanscom, ASTT Director, is a “Phenomenal
Woman”. Read about her in the February edition of O Magazine (PDF - 6.2 Mb)
We invite you to learn about our work, which includes specialized mental health services and social services for survivors of torture and war trauma. Our website also includes useful resources on torture, its consequences, and the needs of survivors, as well as links to other organizations active in this field.
We also invite you to find out how you can help support ASTT's programs, either through volunteering your time or making a donation.
“ASTT is a light for me, a guide for me now.” - ASTT client
