CVT was founded in 1985 as a nongovernmental organization after the governor of Minnesota, Rudy Perpich, Jr., assembled a committee to recommend initiatives that would make a difference for human rights. The committee proposed creation of the United States’ first center for rehabilitative care for survivors of torture. The Center for Victims of Torture opened in St. Paul, with one counselor. Over the years, we grew geographically and programmatically, today offering culturally-competent and interdisciplinary care to survivors, along with initiatives to end torture, enhance the skills and resilience of human rights defenders and organizations, and to facilitate justice for survivors.