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Human Rights

Human rights are at the core of Mental Health Europe’s work. Human rights violations can negatively impact mental health and the lives of people living with mental ill health and psychosocial disabilities.

 

Mental Health Europe’s work is underlined and guided by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) which states that people with disabilities, including people with psychosocial disabilities, must fully enjoy their human rights.

Mental Health Europe monitors the implementation of the UN CRPD by the EU, to make sure European policies reflect and respect the obligations which the EU signed up to when it ratified the Convention in 2010 and the recommendations it received from the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in September 2015.

 

Mental Health Europe also monitors the work of the Council of Europe through its participation in the Conference of International NGOs

Supported decision-making

#WithdrawOviedo

Promising Practices

Related Content

Our News about Human Rights

24 May 2023

MHE releases Policy Recommendations: Paving the way to mentally healthy communities enabling everybody to thrive

Includes key priorities for action in reshaping the environments that influence mental health (such as home, education, workplaces and broader communities).

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26 April 2023

Mental Health Europe Releases a Toolkit on Co-Creation

This Toolkit provides guidelines and good practices on the psychosocial model and how it works in practice in different sectors and for different actors.

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26 April 2023

Mental Health Europe releases ‘Mental Health: The Power of Language’ – A glossary of terms and words

This glossary of terms and words used in the area of mental health aims to help pave the way to de-stigmatisation. When we want to see the right changes both in policy and in our day-to-day lives, we need to use the right terms and words.

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19 April 2023

The HPP Mental Health in all Policies Thematic Network released a Joint Statement

The EU Health Policy Platform on Mental Health in all Policies has released a Joint Statement: A proposal for a win-win Mental Health in all Policies approach. Organisations are invited to read the joint statement and endorse it before 22 May 2023.

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10 April 2023

Mental Health Europe Releases a Toolkit on the Psychosocial Model of Mental Health

This Toolkit provides guidelines and good practices on the psychosocial model and how it works in practice in different sectors and for different actors.

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6 February 2023

PERISCOPE MOOC ‘Strengthening territorial response for better health’ launched on Coursera

Mental Health Europe is pleased to announce the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) ‘Strengthening territorial response for better health’ developed under the PERISCOPE project is now available on Coursera.

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25 January 2023

MHE Publishes Czech EU Presidency Scorecard (July-December 2022)

How did the 2022 Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU score in relation to mental health?

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25 January 2023

Presidency Scorecards

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18 January 2023

MHE releases new report on digitalisation and mental health

Read MHE's report, which provides an assessment of the risks and opportunities related to living and working in a digital world, as well as to digital provision of mental health care services.

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19 December 2022

MHE releases Guidelines on access to justice for persons with psychosocial disabilities

Read MHE's Guidelines on what access to justice means in practice for persons with psychosocial disabilities and how to ensure that this right is respected and implemented. These guidelines can be of help to any stakeholder within all the branches of the justice system and any participant in legal proceedings.

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26 October 2022

MHE Publishes Paper on Mental health and geopolitical crises: Ukraine and beyond

This paper explores the short, medium and the long-term challenges to mental health linked to the Ukraine war and beyond. Mental health support should be prioritised as part of a comprehensive approach to well-being.

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19 September 2022

MHE Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis available in 5 new languages

Now available in Bulgarian, Spanish, Hungarian, Polish and Romanian.

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25 July 2022

MHE Publishes French EU Presidency Scorecard (January-June 2022)

How did the 2022 French Presidency of the Council of the EU score in relation to mental health?

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1 July 2022

Joint statement by the EU Health Policy Platform’s thematic network ‘Climate action through public health education and training’

Moving towards the right to ‘health for all’ by training the public health and wider health workforce on climate change and health.

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8 June 2022

In Memoriam Gabor Gombos (1961 – 2022)

Gabor Gombos – a leading expert and activist on the rights of person with disabilities – passed away on Monday 6 June 2022 in Budapest, Hungary

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8 June 2022

Joint statement on #WithdrawOviedo

Joint Statement on the suspension of adotion of the additional protocol of the Oviedo convention

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10 March 2022

MHE publishes Slovenian Presidency Scorecard

How did the 2021 Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU score in relation to mental health?

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25 February 2022

MHE publishes its alternative report on the UN CRPD implementation by the EU

Read Mental Health Europe's Alternative Report for the second review of the European Union by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD).

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19 October 2021

The time is now to create an intersectional long-term Mental Health Strategy

Joint statement about an intersectional long-term European Mental Health Strategy.

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27 September 2021

State of the Union address 2021: make mental health a priority

Mental Health Europe (MHE) released a reaction to the State of the Union speech, calling on the European Commission to take comprehensive actions to reaffirm its commitment to mental health and disability.

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20 September 2021

MHE welcomes decision of the European Court of Human Rights on the Oviedo Convention and urges States to #WithdrawOviedo

Read MHE's reaction to the decision of the European Court of Human Rights to the Oviedo Convention related to the forced treatment of persons with psychosocial disabilities.

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14 September 2021

71st session of the WHO Regional Committee for Europe: Joint statement on mental health

Mental Health Europe released a joint statement to highlight the importance of prioritising mental health by investment in mental health services and placing mental health at the heart of the post-COVID-19 recovery agenda.

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16 July 2021

Trieste mental health system must remain a global beacon towards deinstitutionalisation and community mental health services, backed with political will

Mental Health Europe highlights the importance of introducing human rights into mental health services as pioneered by the mental health system in Trieste, Italy.

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5 July 2021

MHE and EDF call on Council of Europe to withdraw Oviedo

Mental Health Europe, together with the European Disability Forum and other stakeholders, call on the Council of Europe, and its Committee of Bioethics, to halt working on legislation that would allow any forms of involuntary treatment and placement in psychiatry. 

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16 June 2021

New WHO Guidance on community mental health services: A critical milestone for mental health reforms in Europe

Mental Health Europe (MHE) welcomes the launch of the World Health Organization’s (WHO) long-awaited guidance on community mental health services on 10th June 2021 and calls on European, national and local authorities to transform their mental health systems and services towards human-rights compliant care.  

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1 June 2021

UN experts: Stop legislation for coercive mental health measures in Europe

Read MHE's reaction to UN Rights statement to stop legislation for coercive mental health measures.

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27 April 2021

Event | Shaping the future of community mental health services based on human rights | 11 May 2021

Mental Health Europe (MHE) is delighted to invite you to an online event about the future of community mental health services based on human rights on 11 May 2021.

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8 April 2021

No more legal barriers, let’s move towards supported decision making instead

Read MHE's statement about European Commission's ambition to ratify 2000 Hague Convention on the International Protection of Adults.

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17 March 2021

MHE releases reflection paper on access to justice for people with mental health problems

Read Mental Health Europe's reflection paper on access to justice for persons with psychosocial disabilities and mental health problems.

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4 March 2021

EU Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030: a new hope for persons with psychosocial disabilities

Read Mental Health Europe’s reaction to the new EU Disability Rights Strategy 2021-2030.

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19 January 2021

EU must prioritise social inclusion in its COVID-19 recovery

Joint statement about lack of social inclusion in EU's response to the pandemic.

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18 December 2020

How Europe can better protect migrants with disabilities and mental health problems

New Pact on Migration and Asylum is a missed opportunity for people with disabilities and mental health problems.

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10 December 2020

The pandemic is not an excuse for ill-treatment of people with mental health problems

Read MHE's statement on the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2020.

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14 September 2020

MHE’s reaction to the call for good practices on voluntary care by the DH Bioethics Committee of the Council of Europe

Collection of practices is promising, but to move towards full compliance with human rights DH-BIO needs to drop the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention.

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7 November 2019

Vote for all: How co-production can improve the political participation of persons with disabilities?

Please join us for a roundtable discussion on how to improve the political participation of persons with disabilities

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28 October 2019

Ending coercion, promoting human rights in mental healthcare

Please join us for an event to mark Human Rights Day on 10 December 2019

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26 September 2019

MHE releases reflection paper on mental health and SDGs

This reflection paper analyses how SDGs contribute to a human rights dimension of mental health & what is the EU's role

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19 July 2019

MHE updates Toolkit on the review process of the UN CRPD

You can use this toolkit as your reference with regards to the UN CRPD.

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26 June 2019

MHE’s reaction to the Council of Europe’s resolution on ending coercion in mental health

On 26 June 2019, the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly adopted resolution and recommendations on ending coercion in mental health. Mental Health Europe welcomes the adoption of this resolution.

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6 May 2019

MHE Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis available in 4 new languages

Now available in English, French, German and Italian.

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9 April 2019

MHE Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis available in 3 new languages

Now available in English, French, German and Italian.

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7 March 2019

MHE’s Webinar on the upcoming European Elections

Discussing campaign strategies and key objectives.

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6 March 2019

UN CRPD: Article 29 – Participation in political and public life

Focus on the right to vote 

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31 October 2018

MHE Response to the Lancet Commission Report on Global Mental Health and Sustainable Development

A response which includes analysis and recommendations.

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16 October 2018

Livestream | Press Briefing Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe

Press briefing on our Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe report.

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25 September 2018

CRPD Committee calls on States Parties to oppose the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention

The Committee considers the draft Additional Protocol to be in violation of several articles of the CRPD.

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17 September 2018

MHE launches Short Guide to Psychiatric Diagnosis

The guide is for anyone seeking help from a doctor, psychiatrist or other health professional.

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5 September 2018

20th session of CRPD Committee marks disability rights milestone

It is 10 years since the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) came into effect.

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4 September 2018

Oviedo Convention: Bulgaria joins host of organisations objecting to Additional Protocol

Now that Bulgaria has objected to the draft, joining Portugal in expressing opposition, MHE and other campaigners believe more states could follow suit.

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11 July 2018

NGOs, academics and MEPs: Use future EU funding to promote human rights compliant mental health services

Mental health experts have called on the European Union (EU) to use the next round of EU funding to promote further reforms to mental health services.

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23 May 2018

2019 European Parliament elections: it is time to show that the voices of all EU citizens count

Outdated laws mean 500,000 people could be denied the right to vote.

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16 May 2018

Contribution arts. 4.3 and 33.3 of the CRPD

Contribution to the call for submissions from the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the Draft General Comment No. 7 on articles 4 (3) and 33 (3)

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15 May 2018

Drop the draft: MHE speaks out against Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention

Despite strong opposition, the Council of Europe continues negotiations on the draft Additional Protocol to the Oviedo Convention.

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30 April 2018

Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe

A very short summary of findings.

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24 April 2018

Video Message from European Commissioner Marianne Thyssen for MHE Annual General Assembly

A video message highlighting the importance of mental health.

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24 April 2018

Video message from EU Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis’ for MHE Annual General Assembly

There is no health without mental health.

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15 February 2018

MHE video on Article 19 of the UNCRPD

MHE video on Article 19 of the UNCRPD

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16 January 2018

Livestream | Press Briefing Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe

Press briefing on our Mapping and Understanding Exclusion in Europe report.

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9 October 2017

MHE’s reaction to the new EU return policies

Last week, the EU Commission published a set of recommendations to Member States on the return and detention of migrants and refugees.

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6 October 2017

MHE toolkit on the right to work

MHE toolkit on Article 27 of the UN CRPD and the Right to Work

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6 June 2017

MHE video on Article 27 of the UNCRPD

MHE video on Article 27 of the UNCRPD

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6 June 2017

Statement of ENUSP and Mental Health Europe on Additional Protocol

Statement of ENUSP and Mental Health Europe on Additional Protocol

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22 January 2017

MHE video clip on legal capacity

What does legal capacity mean for people with psychosocial disabilities?

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6 January 2017

Position Paper on Article 12 of the UN CRPD – Legal Capacity

Position Paper on Article 12

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1 November 2016

Implementation Report of the UN CRPD

READ IMPLEMENTATION REPORT

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6 May 2016

MHE video on Article 12 of the UNCRPD

This short animated video seeks to explain the UNCRPD's Article 12 and legal capacity.

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6 May 2016

MHE’s submission to the consultation on the draft Council of Europe Disability Strategy

MHE’s submission to the consultation on the draft Council of Europe Disability Strategy

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6 February 2016

Contribution Article 19 of the UN CRPD

Contribution Article 19 of the UN CRPD

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5 November 2015

Response to the public consultation on the working document of the Oviedo Convention

Response to the public consultation

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1 November 2015

Compulsory psychiatric treatment and its alternatives – the facts

Compulsory psychiatric treatment and its alternatives - the facts

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6 October 2015

Mental Health Europe in Geneva for the EU-CRPD

Mental Health Europe in Geneva for the EU-CRPD review Let's use all means possible at EU level to guarantee equal rights.

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