The day of the WNUSP side event
Door: Jolijn
Blijf op de hoogte en volg Jolijn
30 Maart 2015 | Zwitserland, Genève
Today, Monday 30 March 2015, was the day of the side event on CRPD article 15 and its potential to end impunity for torture in psychiatry, at the 13th session of the UN Committee on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It went very well, and that gives a very good feeling.
Today I got up early, and after breakfast I first went to Palais des Nations to get my new annual badge for access to the UN buildings in Geneva. The security and registration staff was very relaxed towards me. Apparently the security staff also hasn’t forgotten my first visit to the UN in 2011, where I was almost denied access because of my punky style, and now they still know me, and they are nice and friendly to me ever since. So that was pleasant again.
After getting my new badge, I went to Palais Wilson, and at the entrance I found Hege Orefellen from WSO, Norway, who is also in the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (www.wnusp.net ). Together we decided to join the NGO briefings on Croatia and Czech Republic.
The first session was on Croatia, and several NGOs raised their concerns regarding the rights of persons with disabilities in Croatia. It was very interesting to hear that there are some positive law reforms in Croatia, but sadly the implementation of these laws and its surrounding policies have many flaws. It was shocking to hear that the new Croatian Family Act which prohibits full (plenary) guardianship was suspended by the Croatian Constitutional Court, so now they are back to the old law, which is terrible. Also de-institutionalization of children and ending involuntary detention and treatments in psychiatric or social care were key issues.
The questions that were raised by the CRPD Committee members were very good, such as questioning whether the use of restraints and forced psychiatry, including measures to disciplin behaviour were recognized as torture in Croatia. (unfortunately this is not the case yet)
The next session was on Czech Republic. Again the NGOs started by raising their concerns on the rights of persons with disabilities in Czech Republic. I was confused for a moment, when I heard MDAC presenting on various issues, but not on forced treatments as being torture (while they have been campaigning on that as well). But then the next speaker was also from MDAC and he covered the issue of forced psychiatry, including the use of caged beds, which have been banned from social care institutions, but are still in use in psychiatric institutions, which is horrible.
In 2012, I have been representing ENUSP at the CAT review on Czech Republic, where the use of caged beds was also raised (http://punkertje.waarbenjij.nu/reisverslag/4269458/report-of-cat-session-on-czech-republic#ad-image-118505317 ) and the CAT CO’s mention to ensure the prohibition of caged beds and net-beds.
Then it was 12 at noon, and the next session was on Turkmenistan. This was also an NGO briefing, but it was a closed private meeting, and Hege and I decided to leave the conference room. We found Tina Minkowitz (WNUSP), Mette Ellingsdalen (WSO Norway) and NN (male, 45) in the cafetaria, and we sat together to prepare for our side event.
At 1.45 our side event on CRPD article 15 and its potential to end impunity for torture in psychiatry started in the main conference room. There were about 10 Commitee members, out of 18, which is very good (they were sacrificing their lunch time to be with us).
The side event was also webcast at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/ and will be in the webcast archives soon.
I was the first speaker, and I spoke about my experiences with deprivation of liberty based on “danger to self or others” and about my campaigning, including the development of an alternative model to avoid forced treatments (based on Family Group Conferencing), and about the letter of the Special Rapporteur on Torture on my personal case, which is painfully surrounded by silence from the government's side.
After that NN shared his experiences with forced medication and electroshocks, which took away his feelings, his skills and personality, and devastated him. He also tried to challenge the decision to put him under forced treatment, but was also unsuccessfull. It is torture. It was a very intriguing presentation.
Then Hege Orefellen (We Shall Overcome) spoke about the urgent need for redress, remedies and guarantees of non-repetition, to enable healing, both for the individuals whose rights have been grossly violated, as well as healing the community from inequality, discrimination and torture.
And finally Tina Minkowitz (WNUSP and CHRUSP) spoke about the applicability of the torture definition, and analysed that forced psychiatric interventions meet all components and criteria for torture and ill-treatments.
It was a very firm sequence of presentations, and the message clearly came across.
The CRPD Committee members asked some further questions, and a lot of them also expressed their compliments on our presentations, which was said to be clear, valuable and powerful. That was absolutely great to get such a positive response. We were all proud of the success.
A more detailed report of the side-event will come later, including a link to the webcast video.
After the side event, Tina, Hege, Mette, NN and me had a very interesting meeting with Catalina Devandas, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of persons with disabilities. This was very positive.
The side event had been quite intense for all of us, so after the meeting with Catalina we were all quite tired and decided to go to a pizzeria. After a nice meal we all went to our hotel rooms (in different hotels). In my room I have been doing some work, and now it’s already late at night. So I have decided to go to sleep, and to postpone this blog (hoping that the video link of the side-event will be online tomorrow, so I can add it and then post it)
Unfortunately the video link is still not available, so I will post a more detailed report of the side event later.
**
WNUSP side event “CRPD Article 15: Its Potential to End Impunity for Torture in Psychiatry”
By now, the video of the WNUSP side-event on ending impunity for torture in psychiatry, of Monday 30 March 2015, is online in the webcast-archives. This video includes 2 testimonies by users/survivors of psychiatry from European countries (Netherlands and Norway) and a thorough legal analysis of the application of the torture-definition and the remedy-framework to forced psychiatric interventions.
WATCH THE WNUSP SIDE EVENT HERE:
http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/crpd-13-wnusp-side-event-on-article-15-english-audio/
More information on the WNUSP side event on ending impunity for torture in psychiatry in written form is available on the website of CHRUSP:
Tina Minkowitz, presentation on Torture Criteria Applied to Forced Psychiatry http://www.chrusp.org/file/294486/TinaArt15sideevent033015.docx
and additional references: http://www.chrusp.org/file/294487/References.docx
Hege Orefellen, presentation on Remedies, Redress and Guarantees of Non-repetition http://www.chrusp.org/file/294485/Side_event_CRPD_Art15_March2015_Hege.pdf
NN, male 45, Norway, presentation on Experience of Forced Psychiatric Drugging and Electroshock http://www.chrusp.org/file/294512/Experience_of_forced_psychiatric_drugging_and_electroshock-UN_side-event.pdf
Jolijn Santegoeds, additional information on Alternatives and Deprivation of Liberty: http://www.chrusp.org/file/294484/Information_from_Jolijn_Santegoeds.docx
CHRUSP, Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry: http://www.chrusp.org
WNUSP, World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry: http://www.wnusp.net
Today I got up early, and after breakfast I first went to Palais des Nations to get my new annual badge for access to the UN buildings in Geneva. The security and registration staff was very relaxed towards me. Apparently the security staff also hasn’t forgotten my first visit to the UN in 2011, where I was almost denied access because of my punky style, and now they still know me, and they are nice and friendly to me ever since. So that was pleasant again.
After getting my new badge, I went to Palais Wilson, and at the entrance I found Hege Orefellen from WSO, Norway, who is also in the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (www.wnusp.net ). Together we decided to join the NGO briefings on Croatia and Czech Republic.
The first session was on Croatia, and several NGOs raised their concerns regarding the rights of persons with disabilities in Croatia. It was very interesting to hear that there are some positive law reforms in Croatia, but sadly the implementation of these laws and its surrounding policies have many flaws. It was shocking to hear that the new Croatian Family Act which prohibits full (plenary) guardianship was suspended by the Croatian Constitutional Court, so now they are back to the old law, which is terrible. Also de-institutionalization of children and ending involuntary detention and treatments in psychiatric or social care were key issues.
The questions that were raised by the CRPD Committee members were very good, such as questioning whether the use of restraints and forced psychiatry, including measures to disciplin behaviour were recognized as torture in Croatia. (unfortunately this is not the case yet)
The next session was on Czech Republic. Again the NGOs started by raising their concerns on the rights of persons with disabilities in Czech Republic. I was confused for a moment, when I heard MDAC presenting on various issues, but not on forced treatments as being torture (while they have been campaigning on that as well). But then the next speaker was also from MDAC and he covered the issue of forced psychiatry, including the use of caged beds, which have been banned from social care institutions, but are still in use in psychiatric institutions, which is horrible.
In 2012, I have been representing ENUSP at the CAT review on Czech Republic, where the use of caged beds was also raised (http://punkertje.waarbenjij.nu/reisverslag/4269458/report-of-cat-session-on-czech-republic#ad-image-118505317 ) and the CAT CO’s mention to ensure the prohibition of caged beds and net-beds.
Then it was 12 at noon, and the next session was on Turkmenistan. This was also an NGO briefing, but it was a closed private meeting, and Hege and I decided to leave the conference room. We found Tina Minkowitz (WNUSP), Mette Ellingsdalen (WSO Norway) and NN (male, 45) in the cafetaria, and we sat together to prepare for our side event.
At 1.45 our side event on CRPD article 15 and its potential to end impunity for torture in psychiatry started in the main conference room. There were about 10 Commitee members, out of 18, which is very good (they were sacrificing their lunch time to be with us).
The side event was also webcast at http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/ and will be in the webcast archives soon.
I was the first speaker, and I spoke about my experiences with deprivation of liberty based on “danger to self or others” and about my campaigning, including the development of an alternative model to avoid forced treatments (based on Family Group Conferencing), and about the letter of the Special Rapporteur on Torture on my personal case, which is painfully surrounded by silence from the government's side.
After that NN shared his experiences with forced medication and electroshocks, which took away his feelings, his skills and personality, and devastated him. He also tried to challenge the decision to put him under forced treatment, but was also unsuccessfull. It is torture. It was a very intriguing presentation.
Then Hege Orefellen (We Shall Overcome) spoke about the urgent need for redress, remedies and guarantees of non-repetition, to enable healing, both for the individuals whose rights have been grossly violated, as well as healing the community from inequality, discrimination and torture.
And finally Tina Minkowitz (WNUSP and CHRUSP) spoke about the applicability of the torture definition, and analysed that forced psychiatric interventions meet all components and criteria for torture and ill-treatments.
It was a very firm sequence of presentations, and the message clearly came across.
The CRPD Committee members asked some further questions, and a lot of them also expressed their compliments on our presentations, which was said to be clear, valuable and powerful. That was absolutely great to get such a positive response. We were all proud of the success.
A more detailed report of the side-event will come later, including a link to the webcast video.
After the side event, Tina, Hege, Mette, NN and me had a very interesting meeting with Catalina Devandas, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of persons with disabilities. This was very positive.
The side event had been quite intense for all of us, so after the meeting with Catalina we were all quite tired and decided to go to a pizzeria. After a nice meal we all went to our hotel rooms (in different hotels). In my room I have been doing some work, and now it’s already late at night. So I have decided to go to sleep, and to postpone this blog (hoping that the video link of the side-event will be online tomorrow, so I can add it and then post it)
Unfortunately the video link is still not available, so I will post a more detailed report of the side event later.
**
WNUSP side event “CRPD Article 15: Its Potential to End Impunity for Torture in Psychiatry”
By now, the video of the WNUSP side-event on ending impunity for torture in psychiatry, of Monday 30 March 2015, is online in the webcast-archives. This video includes 2 testimonies by users/survivors of psychiatry from European countries (Netherlands and Norway) and a thorough legal analysis of the application of the torture-definition and the remedy-framework to forced psychiatric interventions.
WATCH THE WNUSP SIDE EVENT HERE:
http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/crpd-13-wnusp-side-event-on-article-15-english-audio/
More information on the WNUSP side event on ending impunity for torture in psychiatry in written form is available on the website of CHRUSP:
Tina Minkowitz, presentation on Torture Criteria Applied to Forced Psychiatry http://www.chrusp.org/file/294486/TinaArt15sideevent033015.docx
and additional references: http://www.chrusp.org/file/294487/References.docx
Hege Orefellen, presentation on Remedies, Redress and Guarantees of Non-repetition http://www.chrusp.org/file/294485/Side_event_CRPD_Art15_March2015_Hege.pdf
NN, male 45, Norway, presentation on Experience of Forced Psychiatric Drugging and Electroshock http://www.chrusp.org/file/294512/Experience_of_forced_psychiatric_drugging_and_electroshock-UN_side-event.pdf
Jolijn Santegoeds, additional information on Alternatives and Deprivation of Liberty: http://www.chrusp.org/file/294484/Information_from_Jolijn_Santegoeds.docx
CHRUSP, Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry: http://www.chrusp.org
WNUSP, World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry: http://www.wnusp.net
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