World Mental Health Day, 10 October

Recognizing The Rights of People with Disabilities

World Mental Health Day occurs each year on 10 October and is aimed at raising public awareness about mental health issues. The day promotes open discussion of mental disorders and investments in prevention, promotion and treatment services. It also provides an opportunity to promote the ways in which countries can improve the lives of those living with mental health related disabilities. One way of achieving this is through the provision of legal rights and protections that are guaranteed in international human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Matilda Bogner, Regional Representative of OHCHR’s Regional Office for the Pacific, said:

“People who have mental illness or other forms of long-term mental impairment suffer significant discrimination and abuse throughout the world and are often not seen as having rights. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities explicitly guarantees the rights of people with mental disabilities and seeks to uphold their dignity. Parties to the Convention are required to promote, protect, and ensure the full enjoyment of human rights of persons with disabilities and ensure that they enjoy full equality under the law.”

“It is encouraging to see activity on the rights of persons with disabilities in the Pacific on the side of both governments and disabled persons’ organisations. People with mental disabilities need to be included and have steps taken to ensure that their rights are upheld. An increased rate of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Pacific will help to ensure that the rights of persons with all types of disabilities are upheld.”

Of the Pacific Island Forum member states, Australia, New Zealand, Vanuatu and Cook Islands have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tonga have signed, but not yet ratified, the Convention. Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Samoa and Tuvalu have neither signed nor ratified the Convention.

It is estimated that there are at least 650 million persons with disabilities worldwide, of whom approximately 80 percent live in less developed countries. As many as two-thirds of United Nations Member States do not have any legal protection for people with disabilities, even though they comprise one in 10 of the global population.

“The Convention shows the firm commitment of the international community to rectify the neglect and dehumanizing practices that have in the past violated, and which unfortunately continue to violate, the human rights of persons with disabilities,” Ms Bogner said, calling on all Pacific Island countries that have not yet done so to ratify the Convention without delay.

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted on 13 December 2006 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was opened for signature on 30 March 2007.

Notes:

• OHCHR leads global Human Rights efforts and works to promote and protect the Human Rights that are guaranteed under international law and stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948.
• OHCHR is headed by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navanethem Pillay, who coordinates Human Rights activities throughout the UN System and supervises the Human Rights Council.
• OHCHR Regional Office for the Pacific covers 16 countries: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu

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