The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have renewed their stance against involuntary treatment and placement in psychiatry, as a violation of human rights.
In an open letter of June 2021, recently published on the UN website, the experts called on the bodies of the Council of Europe to withdraw the draft Additional Protocol to the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Dignity of the Human Being with regard to the Application of Biology and Medicine: Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (ETS No 164) (Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention).
The experts also highlight the need for the development of new models of mental health polices based on human rights:
“Respect for autonomy rights is central to the contemporary approach taken by the CRPD. This requires respect for one’s own choices shaped by individual will and preferences, and the promotion of personal autonomy through supported decision-making. It requires new models of mental health policy and practice that embrace non-coercion, personal choice, community living and peer engagement.”
Finally, they call on the Council of Europe to develop a Committee of Ministers Recommendation to its Member States on the need to move away from coercive approaches and to build up a non-coercive framework.
- Read about our campaign against the draft additional protocol to the Oviedo Convention.
- Download the statement
Contact:
Marine Uldry – Human Rights Officer
Email: marine.uldry@edf-feph.org
Twitter: @Marine_Uldry