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When the detainee requests a visit to the toilet, the authorities turn a deaf ear. Under such circumstances, the torture victim may become abnormal, sometimes resulting in suicide. Tin Tin Nyo, 26, a well-known female student leader, was detained and interrogated by MIS in 1990. While she was in the interrogation center, she was kicked in her supra pubic region by MIS agents wearing jungle boots. Further details of her torture are not known, because she refused to discuss them with anyone. Finally, on December 31, 1993, she succeeded in killing herself. Physical and psychological forms of torture are often closely linked, leaving scars that are difficult to detect. Many victims will not dare to reveal their experiences of having their sexual organs violated as it is closely linked to shame and guilt and the fear of social stigma when they are released. Many victims suffer from insomnia and nightmares long after experiencing torture. Severe depression is another common problem, often so debilitating that it becomes extremely difficult for the victim to return to normal life. Public awareness can help prevent the future torture of unfortunate victims, as well as the nearly 2,500 political prisoners still inside Burmese prisons. Let’s think how we can help the torture victims. Bo Kyi, a former student activist now living in exile, contributed this article to The Irrawaddy.