CAT/C/GC/3 as set out in article 13 and affirmed by the Committee in its general comment No. 2, ensure that impartial and effective complaints mechanisms are established. Full redress cannot be obtained if the obligations under articles 12 and 13 are not guaranteed. Complaints mechanisms shall be made known and accessible to the public, including to persons deprived of their liberty, whether in detention, psychiatric facilities, or elsewhere, via, for example, telephone hotlines or confidential complaints boxes in detention facilities, and to persons belonging to vulnerable or marginalized groups, including those who may have limited communication abilities. 24. At the procedural level, States parties shall ensure the existence of institutions competent to render enforceable final decisions through a procedure established by law to enable victims of torture or ill-treatment to secure redress, including adequate compensation and rehabilitation. 25. Securing the victim’s right to redress requires that a State party’s competent authorities promptly, effectively and impartially investigate and examine the case of any individual who alleges that she or he has been subjected to torture or ill-treatment. Such an investigation should include as a standard measure an independent physical and psychological forensic examination as provided for in the Istanbul Protocol. Undue delays in initiating or concluding legal investigations into complaints of torture or ill-treatment compromise victims’ rights under article 14 to obtain redress, including fair and adequate compensation and the means for as full rehabilitation as possible. 26. Notwithstanding the evidentiary benefits to victims afforded by a criminal investigation, a civil proceeding and the victim’s claim for reparation should not be dependent on the conclusion of a criminal proceeding. The Committee considers that compensation should not be unduly delayed until criminal liability has been established. Civil liability should be available independently of criminal proceedings and the necessary legislation and institutions for such purpose should be in place. If criminal proceedings are required by domestic legislation to take place before civil compensation can be sought, then the absence of or undue delay in those criminal proceedings constitutes a failure on the part of the State party to fulfil its obligations under the Convention. Disciplinary action alone shall not be regarded as an effective remedy within the meaning of article 14. 27. Under article 14, a State party shall ensure that victims of any act of torture or illtreatment under its jurisdiction obtain redress. States parties have an obligation to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure that all victims of such acts obtain redress. This obligation includes an obligation for State parties to promptly initiate a process to ensure that victims obtain redress, even in the absence of a complaint, when there are reasonable grounds to believe that torture or ill-treatment has taken place. 28. The Committee strongly encourages States parties to recognize the Committee’s competence to consider individual complaints under article 22 to allow victims to submit communications and seek the views of the Committee. The Committee furthermore encourages States parties to ratify or accede to the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture in order to strengthen preventive measures against torture and ill-treatment. Access to mechanisms for obtaining redress 29. The Committee highlights the importance of the State party affirmatively ensuring that victims and their families are adequately informed of their right to pursue redress. In this regard, the procedures for seeking reparation should be transparent. The State party should moreover provide assistance and support to minimize the hardship to complainants and their representatives. Civil proceedings, or other proceedings, should not impose a financial burden upon victims that would prevent or discourage them from seeking redress. Where existing civil proceedings are unable to provide adequate redress to victims, the 6