The United Nations had always put enormous efforts into eradicating torture.
In 1984, the General Assembly adopted the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, which entered into force on 26 June 1987. As of June 1998, the Convention has been ratified by 105 states. These states are required to report to the UN Committee against Torture, a human rights body set up in 1987 to monitor compliance with the Convention and to assist states in implementing its provisions. The Committee is composed of 10 independent experts who serve in their personal capacity and are elected by states. On this day we should direct our attention to this problem, both by advocating to end the torture, as well as to help torture victims.

“Torture is one of the most profound human rights abuses, taking a terrible toll on millions of individuals and their families. Rape, blows to the soles of the feet, suffocation in water, burns, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, shaking and beating are commonly used by torturers to break down an individual's personality. As terrible as the physical wounds are, the psychological and emotional scars are usually the most devastating and the most difficult to repair. Many torture survivors suffer recurring nightmares and flashbacks. They withdraw from family, school and work and feel a loss of trust. “ (United Nations)

Past or Present: Power and Greed
History of Torture
From: Torture Survivors Network

Past
Torture has been with us since the beginning of human history because somewhere, buried deep, the seeds are planted in all of us. We still are unclear about all that causes those seeds to flourish, but we do know what excuses are used to justify it and how people go about institutionalizing it.
Religious fervor, incredibly, was the root and justification for torture during the days of the Crusades and the Inquisition. But were they simply a rationalized excuse for individuals to maintain power? Christians encompass the reality of the crucifixion of Jesus in religious practice, but rarely put it into the context of "torture" which continues in many forms in our modern world.
Desirable land throughout time has been the instigator of wars which inevitably encompass evil - in widespread orgies of torture in all of its forms. Again, it was individuals who desired the land. Wanting and desiring anything to an excess, we call "greed."
Another familiar expression of contemporary times is "power-hungry." Greed and power are the hallmarks to seek when looking for the roots of the evil we call torture. They are the constant throughout history and including modern times.
Words such as "ethnic cleansing" and "genocide" are not causes, they are secondary, masking the deeper narcissistic urge for power. For this reason it is always best to look deeper than philosophic, political, or pragmatic rationalizations for the use of torture, or even war. There will always be a few individuals at the heart of the effort who are greedy and are seeking power.

Present
In modern "civilized" times, there are at least 123 countries which utilize torture as a means of controlling their citizens. This figure includes industrialized as well as "third-world" nations. It is about the need to control and the necessity of using force to establish control - always ultimately, by a few individuals.
One of the most efficient means of control is to terrorize a society into passivity and submission. The way to exert that control is by torture. The public exposure of the results of that torture - the destruction of the physical, psychological, and/or mental capacities of a community leader - will strike terror in the hearts of his or her community. How many strong and freedom-loving people will speak out against evil if their child has been kidnapped or rape or maimed, then returned as an omnipresent warning? There are hundreds in one of our neighboring countries and it continues as this is being written.