Reversing hard won victories in the name of human rights: a critique of the General Comment on Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Melvyn Colin Freeman; Kavitha Kolappa; Jose Miguel Caldas de Almeida; Arthur Kleinman; Nino Makhashvili; Sifiso Phakathi; Benedetto Saraceno; Graham Thornicroft

doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00218-7

Reversing hard won victories in the name of human rights: a critique of the General Comment on Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Lancet Psychiatry. 2015 Sep;2(9):844-50. doi: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00218-7. Epub 2015 Jul 5.

Authors

Melvyn Colin Freeman¹, Kavitha Kolappa², Jose Miguel Caldas de Almeida³, Arthur Kleinman⁴, Nino Makhashvili⁵, Sifiso Phakathi⁶, Benedetto Saraceno³, Graham Thornicroft⁷

Affiliations

¹ National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa; University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. Electronic address: Freemm@health.gov.za.
² Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.
⁴ Harvard Medical School, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA.
⁵ Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
⁶ National Department of Health, Pretoria, South Africa.
⁷ Centre for Global Mental Health, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, London, UK.

PMID: 26236004
DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00218-7

Abstract

The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a major milestone in safeguarding the rights of persons with disabilities. However, the General Comment on Article 12 of the CRPD threatens to undermine critical rights for persons with mental disabilities, including the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health, access to justice, the right to liberty, and the right to life. Stigma and discrimination might also increase. Much hinges on the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' view that all persons have legal capacity at all times irrespective of mental status, and hence involuntary admission and treatment, substitute decision-making, and diversion from the criminal justice system are deemed indefensible. The General Comment requires urgent consideration with the full participation of practitioners and a broad range of user and family groups.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Decision Making*
Disabled Persons / legislation & jurisprudence*
Human Rights
Humans
Mental Competency / legislation & jurisprudence*
Mental Health / legislation & jurisprudence*
United Nations