MindFreedom Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) with 26 others has launched a Joint NGO Shadow Report on mental health and human rights in Ghana with a call on government to institute mental health levy to resource the Mental Health Fund. It also urged the Mental Health Authority (MHA) to lead nationwide consultation on devising innovative strategies for domestic mobilisation of financial support to resource the Fund. Mr Dan Taylor, Executive Secretary of MindFreedom Ghana, said the report was a review of the human rights situation of persons with mental health conditions in Ghana, with emphasis on progress made since the United Nations (UN) 3Rd Cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) and a contribution to the 4Th Cycle of the UPR process with funding support from Open Society Africa. The UPR is a unique process involving periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN Member States and since its first meeting was held in April 2008, all the States have been reviewed thrice within the first, second and third cycle, he explained. During the fourth UPR cycle, which is the most recent, he said States were expected to indicate steps they had taken to implement recommendations from the previous reviews which they committed to implement and to highlight recent human rights development in their countries, hence the Shadow Report. Mr Taylor noted that the joint NGO Shadow Report was an outcome of eight zonal in-country consultations and dialogues held in Ghana by the NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) with representatives including persons with lived experience of mental health conditions. The purpose, he said was to direct the UN Human Rights Council’s attention to ongoing instances of systemic and structural challenges in the response by the State of Ghana to protect, promote and secure the human rights of persons with mental health conditions in the country. According to the report, Ghana’s Mental Health Act, 2012 was aimed at among others, to monitor the practices and services of both formal and informal service providers, however, the lack of enforcement of the Act has made it difficult to monitor, probe and systematically report inhumane and degrading treatment of persons with mental health conditions. ‘Adults with and affected by psychosocial or mental health conditions continue to become victims of stigma, discrimination, and physical abuse. They experience forms of stigma and discrimination including neglect and abandonment, mockery and abuse at home and public places including workplaces and place of worship. Verbal and physical abuse continue to persist in psychiatric facilities,’ it indicated. The report recommended that the MHA established Visiting Committees and approved the list of nomination for membership to the committees. It also encouraged the MHA to lead a nationwide consultation to determine a policy direction to integrate the activities of traditional medicine and faith-based healing practices into mainstream psychiatric and mental healthcare to effect proper monitoring of their activities. The report urged the Authority to approve and bring to scale humane treatment, protocols including a people-centred care into mental healthcare delivery in all facilities across the country. The Ministry of health in collaboration with the Authority was also to increase the number of rehabilitation centres in the country. Mr Taylor said the organisation submitted the Joint NGO Shadow Report to the UN Human Rights Council on Thursday, July 14, 2022, to aid in the review of the country. While the review process had been completed, he said it was the hope of NGOs/CSOs and all well-meaning human rights and mental health defenders to see that Ghana’s commitment to promote and protect the human rights of persons with mental conditions was fully realised. Professor Akwasi Osei, former Chief Executive, Mental Health Authority, who chaired the occasion said the report was not an attack on the country to help to improve mental healthcare and called on the government to implement the recommendations. Ms Mercy Larbi, Deputy Commissioner, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), in a speech read on her behalf, said in 2016, Ghana ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment Act. As a requirement, she said National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) were being established at domestic level as independent visiting bodies, composed of one or more bodies, for the prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Source: Ghana News Agency
