The Open Society Mental Health Initiative

News and Events

News and Anouncements

Movement Opposing Term "Retarded" Gains Support From White House (USA)

Friday, February 05, 2010

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who apologized for using the term during a private meeting last summer, has voiced his support for a national movement to purge the word "retarded" from lawbooks and medical terminology.

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EU2020 Consultation Mischaracterises Social Platform's Position

Friday, February 05, 2010

This week, the Commission released an overview of the responses received to its consultation on the EU2020 Agenda - the overarching strategy of the next ten years. The overview document incorrectly states that social NGOs support the Commission's EU 2020 proposals. It's important to note that the overview was released by the Commission just ahead of the Informal European Council on Feb 11, to "provide first indications of the main trends to Heads of States".

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more news & announcements

Funding/Opportunities

Call For Papers, 3rd Global Conference on "Madness: Probing the Boundaries"

Deadline: March 26, 2010 (Submission of abstracts)

This inter-disciplinary research conference seeks to explore issues of madness across historical periods and within cultural, political and social contexts. They are also interested in exploring the place of madness in persons and interpersonal relationships and across a range of critical perspectives. Seeking to encourage innovative inter, multi and post disciplinary dialogues.

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Call For Papers, Understanding Homelessness and Housing Exclusion in the New European Context (European Research Conference)

Deadline: March 26, 2010 (Submission of abstract)

FEANTSA's European Observatory on Homelessness, the European Network for Housing Research Working Group on Welfare Policy, Homelessness and Social Exclusion and the Metropolitan Research Institute Budapest, are pleased to announce the 5th Annual Research Conference on Homelessness in Europe.

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more funding/opportunities

Upcoming Events

OHCHR online discussion on Women and Human Rights

Online

February 01, 2010 - February 28, 2010

The discussion is dedicated to the fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995) and the outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly (2000).

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Commission for Social Development - 48th session

UNHQ, New York, USA

February 03, 2010 - February 12, 2010

The Commission for Social Development will meet for its 48th Session. This year's Priority Theme is "Social Integration".

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more upcoming events

Publications and Reports

The Lancet

Saturday, February 06, 2010

The latest issue of the Lancet (Volume 375, Issue 9713, Pages 447 - 448, 6 February 2010) features the article "New hope for prison health in the UK". Experts hope the UK's first strategy on health care to include prisoners will vastly improve services for this group who have a high rate of mental health problems.

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Results Of Public Consultation On Europe 2020 And Evaluation Of The Lisbon Strategy

Friday, February 05, 2010

The European Commission has published a summary of the results of the public consultation on Europe 2020 and an evaluation of the Lisbon Strategy. Around 1500 contributions have been received from a wide range of interested parties: Member States, European and national organisations, European and national social partners, regional and local authorities, business and professional federations, companies, NGOs, think tanks and academics and numerous European citizens. Some non-EU countries and stakeholders also responded.

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more publications and reports

Highlights

1) Dumping Grounds For Forgotten People

An investigation by Bulgarian journalist Yana Buhrer Tavanier on the mental care institutions in Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia.   

Please visit the website dedicated to the investigation and view the new promotional video.


Judith Klein, director of the OSMHI (Open Society Mental Health Initiative) has written a foreword to the article, which appears in the newsletter of the European Coalition for Community Living, Issue No. 10, October 2009 and also on the investigation website.


2) Report of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care

A report on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care was handed over to Commissioner Vladimír Špidla on September 23, 2009. The report was drafted by a group of independent experts convened by Commissioner Spidla in February 2009 to address the issues of institutional care reform in their complexity.  The report is also available in Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, Romanian.

Films

Karin Dom - a training and resource centre for children with special needs and their families

This short film was made following a BBC production about a children's institution in Mogilino, Bulgaria. The film features MHI partner organization Karin Dom and highlights what community-based alternatives for children can be like in Bulgaria.

UN Disability Convention

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities received its 20th ratification on April 3, 2008, triggering the entry into force of the Convention and its Optional Protocol on May 3, 2008. This marks a major milestone in the effort to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity.

Information on the convention process:
Convention in Easy to Read
View the list of signatories
Countries that have ratified the Convention
ICRPD Ratification Toolkit
Convention and Inclusive Education
View more information

 

News reports on the Convention:
Agreement on New UN Convention
Urging Implementation
Archive Webcast: Convention Signing 
Record Number of Countries Sign
Secretary-General Ban Hails Entry Into Force Of Treaty On Disability Rights
More news reports

Publications:
UN Handbook for Parliamentarians on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol
First Implementation Manual For The United Nations Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities (Addressed Specifically To Users And Survivors Of Psychiatry)


Ratify Now (The campaign to support global grassroots efforts to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

Films about Inclusion

Foster Care for Children with Disabilities: English ** Russian

I Want to Work and I Can Work!

Living Proof: The right to live in the community

Reality - film on personal assistance

Being an Unperson. A short film about the experience of dehumanization within the care system.

In My Language. A short film about autism and nonverbal communication.

A Way of Describing Autism. A short film by Dave Spicer and Amanda Baggs.

Equalise It!

A Manifesto for Disability Equality in Development Cooperation

The international committee of UK Disabled People's Council (formerly BCODP) has written this manifesto in the light of the signing of the UN Convention on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

To read the campaign launch letter, please click here.

Organisations who wish to sign up to the Manifesto are asked to contact Bill Albert or Mark Harrison so that their name and logo can be added to the list of signatories.