“Not a better system of control — freedom with support. Mental health reform is not only a technical issue. It is a human rights struggle. It is about liberty, legal capacity, dignity, bodily integrity, and community living.”
That’s the paradigm shift TCI put to the room at the International Conference on Mental Health Reforms in South Korea this June. The conference was an international platform that brought together advocates, legal experts, policymakers, and civil society organizations to explore CRPD-compliant and rights-based approaches to mental health reform, with a focus on reforms to involuntary admission.
During the conference, TCI shared global perspectives on CRPD-based, psychosocial disability-led mental health reform, calling for a decisive shift away from coercion and control towards equality, autonomy, legal capacity, community-based support, and the leadership of persons with psychosocial disabilities. TCI stressed that true reform must go beyond legal change to build the social protection, accountability, and community-based supports necessary for people to live freely and with dignity in their communities.
We extend our sincere thanks to our partners, the Research Institute of the Differently Abled Persons’ Rights in Korea (RIDRIK) and DLG Law Corporation, for inviting TCI to participate and for continuing to strengthen our partnership and collaboration in advancing the rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities, in line with the UNCRPD. TCI was represented by Yenirosa, Board member and IMHA Chairperson, at this important convening.
