This episode of Perspectives is the first of two with outgoing APT Secretary General Barbara Bernath

Barbara joined the APT in 1997 and worked in a variety of roles before being appointed Secretary General in 2018. Over more than 25 years, she has witnessed transformational changes take place in global, regional and national efforts to prevent torture and ill-treatment.

But while some of the major developments over this period, like the adoption of the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, might be taken for granted for now, the circumstances at the time were vastly different.

Ahead of Barbara’s departure, we sat down to discuss the people and organisations who joined forces to create, develop and strengthen a new global system to open places of detention to independent oversight.