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‘Protect human rights of Mentally Challenged Persons’
● Mr Dan Taylor
The Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, non-governmental organisation, Mr Dan Taylor, has called for concerted efforts to protect Mentally Challenged Persons (MCPs) across the country against increasing human rights violations.
At an event to commemorate this year’s Mental Health Day in Accra on Tuesday, he described the incidences of human rights violations as a ‘crisis’ despite provisions within the Mental Health Act 846, 2012 which guarantees the rights and freedoms of mentally ill persons.
“Human rights violations unfortunately continue to negatively impact mental health. Abuses including shackling, flogging, forced fasting, chaining and detaining people in obscure places continue to affect treatment of persons with mental health conditions in Ghana and has come under intense international scrutiny.
Having good mental health is a universal human right and everyone deserves to live in an environment where mental health is protected to ensure a healthier and more inclusive world for everyone,” he urged.
On the theme; “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right”, this year’s WMHD provides an opportunity for people and communities to unite in improving knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right.
Mr Taylor noted that having a mental health condition should in no way deprive a person of their human rights or to exclude them from decisions about their own health.
He called for increased sensitisation and advocacy among all stakeholders to change ill attitudes and raise awareness on the rights of people with mental health conditions across the country.
“People with mental health conditions should be able to file complaints in cases of human rights violations. There is no gainsaying that mental health services need to be linked to services and support in the community, enabling people living with mental health conditions to access educational, employment, social service and housing opportunities on an equal basis with others.”
The promotion of human rights in mental health, according to the Executive Secretary further called for increased investment in mental health at the national level.
“The depth of neglect of mental health over the years means that the government needs to dedicate more of the health budget to mental health and establish the mental health levy in line with the mental health policy.
Government should also place modern psychotropic medicines on the Essential Medicines List and place it under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) while making sure that mental health workforce at each level of the health care system were developed and trained to ensure that all people have access to good quality mental health services that promote recovery and respect for human rights,” he advocated.
By Abigail Annoh