Forcing prisoners to view the torture of other prisoners or members of their own family is intended to inflect pain, a sense of guilt and of powerlessness. Victims are often told that it is their fault that the person is being tortured. Children are sometimes required to watch the torture of their parents to further torment the parents. Couple can be tortured together, for example the wife being raped while the husband watches.
Witnessing torture has been reported in a number of Islamic countries.