MHE Welcomes the Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner’s statement on human rights and psychosocial disability

In a recent statement, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Nils Muižnieks has once again highlighted the plight of people with psychosocial disabilities who are among the most marginalised in our society. MHE welcomes this statement which recalls that “the human rights of persons with psychosocial and intellectual disabilities is an obligation not yet fully understood”

The Commissioner pulls no punches in identifying how far we are behind in Europe on the rights of people living with mental ill health including on legal capacity, forced placement and treatment and institutionalisation in places such as Belgium, Denmark, Bulgaria, Romania, France and Hungary.

The Commissioner even criticises the Council of Europe itself for proceeding with the problematic and medicalised draft Additional Protocol on forced placement and treatment of people with mental health problems which runs contrary to UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Read the Statement HERE