infosheet dignity final

Wo ld Me tal Health Da
I fo

5: Dig it a d Me tal Health
aio sheet

A i le of the U i e sal De la aio of Hu a Rights ai
“All hu a
The P ea

ei gs a e o

s that:
e ual i dig it a d i

ights.”

le of the UN Co e io o the Rights of Pe so s ith Disa iliies states that:

“… dis i i aio agai st a


pe so o the asis of disa ilit is a iolaio of the i he e t dig it a d o th of the
hu a pe so .”

What is dignity?
Dig it efe s to a i di idual’s i he e t alue a d o th a d is
st o gl li ked to espe t, e og iio , self- o th a d the possi ilit
to ake hoi es. Bei g a le to li e a life ith dig it ste s f o the
espe t of asi hu a ights i ludi g:










f eedo f o iole e a d a use;
f eedo f o dis i i aio ;

auto o a d self dete i aio ;
i lusio i o
u it life; a d
pa i ipaio i poli - aki g

The dignity of

a

people ith

e tal health o diio s is ot espe ted

People ith e tal health o diio s a ou d the
iolaio s hi h st ips the of thei dig it .
F e ue tl the a e lo ked up i
i hu a a d deg adi g t eat e t.

o ld e pe ie e sig a, dis i i aio a d


i situio s

he e the a e isolated f o

ide- a gi g

so iet a d su je t to

Ma a e su je ted to ph si al, se ual a d e oio al a use a d egle t i hospitals a d p iso s, ut
also i the o
u iies.
The a e e ote dep i ed of the ight to ake de isio s fo the sel es. Ma a e s ste ai all
de ied the ight to ake de isio s a out thei e tal health a e a d t eat e t, he e the a t to li e,
a d thei pe so al a d i a ial afai s.
The a e de ied a ess to ge e al a d e tal health a e. As a o se ue e the a e
p e atu el , o pa ed ith the ge e al populaio .
The a e ote dep i ed of a ess to edu aio a d e plo e t oppo tu
is o epio s a out
e tal health o diio s
ea s that people also fa e

e plo e t a d a e de ied oppo tu iies to o k a d ake a li i g. Child e
o diio s a e also f e ue tl e luded f o edu aio al oppo tu iies. This leads to
e lusio f o e plo e t oppo tu iies i late life.

o e likel to die

iies. Sig a a d
dis i i aio i
ith e tal health
a gi alisaio a d

The a e p e e ted f o pa i ipai g full i so iet . The a e de ied the possi ilit to take pa t i
pu li afai s, to ote o sta d fo pu li oi e. The a e ot gi e the oppo tu it to pa i ipate i
de isio - aki g p o esses o issues afe i g the , su h as e tal health poli a d legislai e o se i e
efo . I addiio , a ess to e eaio al a d ultu al a i iies is ote de ied to people ith e tal
health o diio s.

People a e pe ie e dep i aio of dig it i a a iet of a s…
“M


ard possessed the jail-like stru tures ith the fa ous se lusio

roo s here paie ts are let to lie o the i e- old o rete loor
o ered ith uri e a d fae es a d ithout a thi g to use as
o eri g. I li ed i a er dirt pla e ith o erlo i g toilets, roke
doors a d i do s, tor u ifor s a d at i es paie ts ere let
aked…"
- S l este Kato toka, Za

““o it’s a dou le-edged s ord he

ou’ e got

ia

e tal health

pro le s. You’re la elled. At ho e ou’ e got a la el, a d ou’re
la elled i the s ste , so there’s ot a great deal of dig it aforded
to ou.

- Se i e Use , U ited Ki gdo
We, perso s ith e tal health pro le s, are fa i g high le els of sig a a d dis ri i aio . Whe tagged as ha i g a
e tal health pro le , e e perie e so ial depri aio - losi g our jo s, losi g so ial presige a d e o i g isolated
fro fa il a d so iet .
- Mat ika De kota, Nepal

Ho a e p o ote the ights a d dig it of people ith
o diio s?
I the health- a e s ste
o diio s :









e eed to p o ide ete suppo t a d a e fo people ith


p o idi g o
u it ased se i es, e o passi g a e o e
suppo ts people to a hie e thei goals a d aspi aio s;

e tal health

app oa h that i spi es hope a d

espe i g people’s auto o , i ludi g thei ight to ake thei
o de isio s a out thei t eat e t a d a e; a d
e su i g a ess to good ualit a e hi h p o otes hu a ights,
is espo si e to people’s eeds, a d espe ts thei alues, hoi es
a d p efe e es.

I the o


e tal health


u it

e eed to:

suppo t people ith e tal health o diio s to pa i ipate i
o
u it life, a d a k o ledge the alue of thei o t i uio ;
espe t thei auto o
to ake de isio s fo the sel es i ludi g thei li i g a a ge e ts a d
pe so al a d i a ial ate s;
e su e thei a ess to e plo

e t, edu aio , housi g, so ial suppo t a d othe oppo tu iies;

i lude people i de isio - aki g p o esses o issues afe i g the , i ludi g poli , legislaio a d
health se i e efo
elai g to e tal health.

What is the Wo ld Health O ga izaio doi g to p o ote
dig it fo people ith e tal health o diio s?

Th ough the Qualit Rights p ote t, WHO is o
ited to e su i g that the dig it
of people ith e tal health o diio s is espe ted all a ou d the o ld.
WHO Qualit Rights p o otes dig it

:

Ad o ai g fo polii al a d so ial i lusio
Wo ki g olla o ai el ith go e
e ts, health p ofessio als, fa ilies a d people ith e tal health
o diio s to e su e that the ie s of the late a e hea d a d liste ed to at poli , se i e a d
o
u it le els.
P o oi g a e o e

app oa h to

e tal health a e

This ea s u h o e tha

e el t eai g o a agi g s pto s. It is a out uildi g the apa it of
e tal health o ke s to suppo t people ith e tal health o diio s to ealize thei hopes a d
d ea s, to o k, to e jo fa il a d f ie ds, a d to li e a full a d e a di g life i thei o
u it
Suppo i g hu a

ights t ai i g a d apa it

uildi g

Qualit Rights has de eloped t ai i g p og a
es to uild the apa it of fa ilies a d health- a e
p ofessio als to u de sta d a d p o ote the ights of people ith e tal health o diio s, a d to
ha ge aitudes a d p a i es to a ds the .
E ou agi g the eaio a d st e gthe i g of pee suppo t a d i il so iet o ga izaio s
Qualit Rights is helpi g people ith e tal health o diio s a d fa ilies feel o e ted th ough
utuall suppo i e elaio ships a d e po e i g the to ad o ate fo the ights a d dig it of
people ith e tal health o diio s.

Li ks to


o e i fo

aio

WHO Qualit Rights P oje t
htp://

. ho.i t/ e tal_health/poli / ualit _ ights/e /
WHO Qualit Rights Tool Kit

htp://
O li e plafo

. ho.i t/ e tal_health/pu li aio s/Qualit Rights_toolkit/e /

of aio al

e tal health poli ies, st ategies, la s a d se i e sta da ds
htps://

Co p ehe si e
htp://

. i d a k.i fo/

e tal health a io pla

. ho.i t/ e tal_health/a io _pla _


/e /