Mental health and human rights
World Health Organization (WHO) Exposes
a Global Emergency of Human Rights
Violations in the Mental Health System.MindFreedom Welcomes WHO’s Announcement,
Calls for “International Mobilization.”The World Health Organization announced they
are dedicating International Human Rights Day,
10 December, to all people diagnosed with
mental disorders “and the all-too-prevalent
violations of their basic human rights.”To draw attention to this crisis the World
Health Organization (WHO) has created a new
online photo essay called ‘Forgotten People:
Mental Health and Human Rights,” along with
other new materials and a press conference.MindFreedom International, as a
Non Governmental Organization (NGO)
accredited by the UN, has worked
with WHO for two years encouraging
a focus on the topic of human
rights and mental health.MindFreedom director David Oaks
said, “While we have so very much
that we seek to change about the
mental health system, including
at WHO, we are gratified to see
that WHO is exposing the emergency
of human rights in the mental health
system to people internationally.”MindFreedom issued a call for an
“International mobilization of
resources for a nonviolent
revolution throughout the mental
health system.”