December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities
Together for a better world: Including persons with disabilities in development
http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1561
At Mental Health Worldwide we are encouraging and supporting countries to ratify and implement the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Persons disabled by mental health conditions are included under this convention.
Article 1: The purpose of the present Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.
Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
We welcome a new member to Mental Health Worldwide from Sudan. Our latest member is also a graduate from the International Diploma Program in Mental Health Law and Human Rights, as well as a legal advisor and lecturer in Constitutional Law and Human Rights. Welcome to our global group!
So we have the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) that obliges governments to ensure persons with psychosocial disabilities participate in all activities and decisions that impact them. Now we need to discuss how we ensure this participation takes place. See the disability and human rights blog for various discussions at www.disabilityandhumanrights.com
Thank you!! To Charles O’Mahony, Dr. Mary Keys and CDLP group for this submission. This submission is to the Dept of Health in Ireland for Review of the Mental Health Act 2001. However this will be a very useful resource for any of us evaluating mental health legislation especially as this assessment was done in light of human rights law and the UN CRPD.
http://www.nuigalway.ie/cdlp/documents/cdlp_mental_health_act_2001_submission.pdf
Proposed Merged of Irish Human Rights Commission and Equality Authority.
Submission
Centre for Disability Law & Policy,
NUI Galway.
www.nuigalway.ie/cdlp
1. Introduction.
The Centre for Disability Law and Policy at the National University of Ireland (Galway) is thankful for the opportunity to provide its views as to the proposed merger of the Irish Human Rights Commission and the Equality Authority.
The Centre was established in 2008 and publishes research based on best international practice to inform Irish policy debates. Because of its area of specialization on disability it will focus more on the first question posed in the call for proposals: vis, what do people think the new body should do.
In general, the Centre supports the merger of the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission provided there is an ironclad guarantee of independence. This submission focuses on the vital role that the merged body can and should play to advance the rights of persons with disabilities in Ireland both generally and more specifically under the under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD, 2006) which Ireland has signed (2007) and is poised to ratify.
Article 33.2. of the UN CRPD will oblige Government to designate a framework with one or more independent mechanisms to ‘promote, protect and monitor’ the CRPD.
Our primary recommendation is that the Government should make a formal decision to explicitly designate the merged body as the ‘independent’ element in any such framework under Article 33.2 UN CRPD. This would be consistent with international best practice whereby such independent human rights and equality bodies have been designated the independent element of the relevant domestic CRPD framework. It would be consistent with the decision of the British Government to jointly designate the Northern Irish Human Rights Commission and Equality Commission as the relevant independent mechanism and thus fulfill Irelands’ obligation under the Good Friday Agreement to ensure an ‘equivalent level’ of protection of human rights. Continue reading →
Robin’s photos are vivid, stark and disturbing. Unfortunately they depict scenes of the fate and vulnerability of persons with mental health conditions in some parts of the world that we have seen too often. We hope with every photo, every story … we come closer to changing the world in this regard. Thank you Robin for sharing this story.
http://www.panos.co.uk/stories/2-13-1299-1805/Robin-Hammond/Condemned/
We are excited to learn that Wayne Cho’s World Run will begin soon. Follow Wayne’s blog to track his progress and check out his route – be sure to contact Wayne if he will be running through your city.
World Run Lovers,
Welcome to the first edition of the Love Report to keep you updated about the Love World Run. If you are already getting goose bumps from seeing too many L words please put on a warm sweater and read on:)
1/1/2012
Yes, the Love World Run will start on New Year’s day, rain, shine or snow!:) It will start from Vancouver’s downtown eastside at 10am. Please come down to show me some love if you can. I am also hoping that some of you will be able to join me for a nice run from DTE to the Peach Arch border. Join me for part of the way if NYE hangovers or similar are expected to prevent you from doing the whole run. More details will follow.
Blog
Check out my blog if the weekly Love Report is just not enough for ya:) You will read about the juicy details like me trying to break down the great wall of the US to obtain an extended visit Visa. Continue reading →
Review and Comments on the Nepal Mental Health Treatment and Protection Act 2006
Please find attached the reviews by Linda Lee and Jana Offergeld on the Nepal MH Treatment and Protection Act 2006 using the WHO Checklist and additional comments by Jana using an edit program. Linda Lee and Jana Offergeld are graduates of the International Diploma program in Mental Health Law and Human Rights Legislation.
Summary:
We are very pleased to learn that Nepal is initiating a mental health law reform process which includes the establishment of a task force. We are especially pleased that this task force includes representatives for persons with mental health disability such as Matrika Devkota and the KOSHISH group. Nepal is a lead country in this regard and in the fact that Nepal’s government has signed and ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Continue reading →
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Following is a list of upcoming Centre for Disability Law & Policy-associated events which may be of interest to you. If you have any queries regarding the events, please don’t hesitate to contact us on: info.cdlp@nuigalway.ie or at + 353 91 494020.
Regards,
Róisín Fitzpatrick
Research Assistant
Centre for Disability Law and Policy (CDLP)
School of Law
National University of Ireland, Galway
10th December 2011: Whoop it up for Liberty! ( http://www.humanrights.ie/index.php/2011/11/07/whoop-it-up-for-liberty/)
The Human Rights in Ireland blog is organising a performance in Druid Theatre in Galway on 10 December to celebrate International Human Rights Day. The event is called Whoop it up for Liberty! and will feature first person narratives which highlight the experiences of workers, women, people with disabilities, travellers, language rights activists, asylum seekers, children, prisoners and others as they relate to human rights in Ireland – from historical perspectives right through to the present day. Three regular contributors to the blog: Deirdre Duffy (University of Nottingham), Charles O’ Mahony and Eilionóir Flynn (both at the Centre for Disability Law and Policy, NUI Galway) are organising the event, in collaboration with Thomas Conway, literary manager at Druid Theatre, who will direct the performance. The event is listed on Fund It http://www.fundit.ie/project/whoop-it-up-for-liberty/ and they are looking for support to cover the costs of the performance. Donations received will go towards the cost of hiring the venue and rehearsal space, lighting and sound, recording the performance, providing catering for the cast and crew after the performance, producing programme notes for the event, and making the performance accessible to all.
This will be the first time an event of this kind has been performed in Ireland, using first-person narratives to explore historical and present-day experiences of human rights across a broad range of issues: identity, belonging, democracy, politics, solidarity, and exclusion.
20th-21st April 2012: Contemporary Housing Issues in a Changing Europe – CALL FOR PAPERS
Please see attached a call for papers for this international conference to be held next year by NUI Galway’s Centre for Housing Law, Rights and Policy, and the School of Law. Deadline for papers extended. Contact Dr Padraic Kenna: housingconference@gmail.com
Dear friends,
Greetings from KOSHISH, National Mental Health Self Help Organization, and an organization of persons who have experiences mental health problem in ours own lives.
It is our pleasure that we were able to be part in celebration of world mental health day 2011.
Please find links of my speech and my foster son Keshar was singing special song for the audience. Keshar was on the street for 16 years; two years ago I rescued him and now; I am proud to see the performance of my son.
Link of awareness song by Keshar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31cwTBaGVNA
Link of a speech of Matrika Devkota
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcjAQG75ZRg
Link of the speech of Dr Sudha Sharma Secretary of Health
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLR3mq18RPw
Thank you so much for yours supports and solidarity for promotion of mental health in the country.
With sincere regards,
Matrika
–
Matrika Devkota
Chairperson
KOSHISH, National Mental Health Self-Help Organization
GPO Box No 8975, EPC 2706
Kathmandu, Nepal
Tel: 977-1-2221146
Cell: 977-9841503756
URL: http://www.koshishnepal.org
KOSHISH means making an effort in Nepal.
We are putting our effort in mainstreaming mental health/psychosocial
disability in Nepal.
