More news on restraints: 身体拘束について活動は続きています

On 15 November a 28-year old man was found dead while he was restrained in a psychiatric care facility in the Tokyo area. The police are looking into the death. It is horrible that these things are still going on despite all the publicity about how bad restraints are. Here is the link to the story in Japanese: http://www.asahi.com/articles/DA3S13229858.html The newspaper is also asking readers to give feedback in a questionnaire about how people feel about restraints. That link is here: http://www.asahi.com/opinion/forum/?iref=com_rnavi_r1 If supporters of this petition can fill out the form we might be able to make a stronger impact. On 14 November the UN Universal Periodic Review of Japan was held. Delegates from 106 countries made 218 recommendations. Here is a summary of the recommendations that relate to this petition: 1) Discussion of mental health was mentioned directly by two countries (Portugal said: Develop community-based and people-centred mental health services and supports that do not lead to institutionalization, over-medicalization and to practices that fail to respect the rights, will and preferences of all persons. Libya said: Continue to promote the efforts to make the mentally and psychologically disabled persons benefit from the healthcare services. 2) New Zealand discussed it indirectly. They said: Implement fully Japan’s obligations under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, including following the Committee‘s guidelines on Article 14 to protect the security and personal integrity of persons with disability who are deprived of their liberty. This explicitly includes Kelly’s case due to the invocation of Article 14. 3) Japan responded to earlier written concerns originally brought by the Japanese Bar (lawyers) association about psychiatric hospitals and bringing the patients into the community. They said that next year they would start building more facilities and having support people to allow moving psychiatric patients into the community more easily. 4) Other related requests Request for Japan to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment : Slovenia, Guatemala, Georgia, Chile, Cabo Verde, Ukraine, Uruguay, Ghana, Denmark, Spain, Turkey, Yemen 5) Request for Japan to establish a national human rights institution or a national monitoring mechanism of the Convention of the Rights of People with Disability compliant with Paris principles. Malaysia, Qatar, Venzuela, Philppines, Australia, Moldova, Costa Rica, Rwanda, Uganda, Guatemala, Kenya, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Ethiopia, India, Afghanistan, Panma, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Finland, Sierra Leone, France, Nepal, Liechtenstein, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Morocco. 6) Ensure the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Lao, New Zealand (specifically mentioning Article 14), Uganda, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, Singapore, Libya specifically mentioned JNGMDP: Japan National Group of Mentally Disabled People. We hope that these developments will encourage the Ministry enquiry to end the practice of restraining patients in psychiatric facilities.