Form redacted and attachments stripped. 10 questions we should be asking ourselves http://bit.ly/3-years-in-limbo
Will activists from womens' movement, (also disability, human rights) please follow up as well and at least make a noise please? For 3 years lost in limbo she sure is getting an apathetic response :-( ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Vaishnavi Jayakumar <[email protected]> Date: Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 6:34 PM Subject: Complaint regarding young, mentally ill woman found chained without clothes at a destitute home in Hyderabad To: [email protected] NHRC Online Complaint Registration Form. Your details Name Vaishnavi Jayakumar Sex FEMALE Address xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx State TAMIL NADU PIN 600031 District CHENNAI CITY EMail xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Mobile xxxxxxxxxxx Victim's details Name xxxxxxxxxx alias xxxxxx Address Originally from Bihar Currently c/o The Govt of Telangana Aram Ghar / KGNMT Hyder Shah Kote State TELANGANA District HYDERABAD PIN 500008 Sex FEMALE Religion Unknown Disability YES, (suspected psychosocial disability) Caste Unknown Age 28 Incident's details Place ARAM GHAR c/o ICSW <http://cswhyd.org/icsw.html> State TELANGANA District HYDERABAD Incident Date 29-May-2017 (discovery in chained, naked condition) Incident Category HEALTH Sub Category Exploitation of mentally disabled person Filed in court/SHRC NO Complaint Lady found alone on the streets late night was admitted by police into the privately run, renowned Aram Ghar in 2014. 3 years later she is discovered by media - chained, naked, lying in her excreta, reporting sexual molestation by unknown parties in the night. The home claims she was chained because of erratic violent behaviour, perhaps due to mental illness. She claims she was restrained after lashing out at someone during a molestation attempt in the dark. After the news broke, she has subsequently been transferred to Kasturba Gandhi National Memorial Trust - A Swadhaar home. Since then according to the media, she has been started on treatment from a private psychiatrist with the intervention of Telangana State Legal Services Authority. Till date she has neither had a rape evaluation, nor has any protocol under any law been followed. In effect 3 years of the lady's life has been wasted in custodial limbo with no attempts at psychosocial intervention or rehabilitation. *Further information to be accessed at * 1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGHI0Fdj3Qg 2. http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tied-stripped-forced- sit-her-own-excreta-inhuman-treatment-woman-hyd-home-62844 <http://www.thenewsminute.com/article/tied-stripped-forced-sit-her-own-excreta-inhuman-treatment-woman-hyd-home-62844> 3. https://thedispatchonmentalhealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/case- of-chained-woman-in-hyderabad-home-for-disabled-exposes- state-of-mental-health-care/ <https://thedispatchonmentalhealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/01/case-of-chained-woman-in-hyderabad-home-for-disabled-exposes-state-of-mental-health-care/> Relief details *Pray /Relief sought* 1. Missing person FIR to be filed, if not already done and to reconnect with family AFTER her informed consent. 2. Rape evaluation to be done after initial counselling. 3. Under what act has she been detained. If mentally ill, the reception order to be obtained and protocols for admission of homeless mentally ill under the Mental Health Act 1987 to be followed. 4. On what grounds was her admission in Aram Ghar done? If mental illness, are Aram Ghar / KGNMT licensed as psychiatric nursing homes (or rehab facilities if applicable) as required by law? Ditto in case of a beggary act - protocols and licensing. 5. Has police booked case for sexual assault IPC provisions in addition to their booking under wrongful confinement provisions? Can the police even act against itself in addition to shelter NGO, give that they were the admitting party in the first place?! Police and NGO investigation report to be submitted. 6. Telangana has not set up a State Mental Health Authority. The Mental Healthcare Act is not likely to come into force until February 2018. It cannot be put off till then. So Telangana State Mental Health Authority to be set up with immediate effect. Also disability commissioner, child rights commission, state human rights body etc. The Central Mental Health Authority to explain why Telangana has been devoid of a coordinating authority of such importance for 3 years. Meetings of the CMHA and SMHA to be put up proactively in the public domain after anonymising. If care and rescue are down to the community it is best that the community is made aware of what's happening. 7. Police and registered NGOs to undergo training on legal aspects of rescue, care quality standard dos and donts and protocol for helping homeless mentally ill. Such a module to be also provided for magisterial training. 8. An audit to be done along with remaining residents of Aram Ghar in case others too are wrongly placed, detained, in need of a medical / therapeutic intervention, being abused in any way by other residents or staff. Their feedback, future plans and interviews to be documented and addressed. 9. State branches along with Indian Psychiatric Society to be required to compile an updated code of ethics, outlining how deviations will be addressed. This may be publicised especially given context of Mental Healthcare Act Chapter 5, Clause 23. 10. Along with general public awareness of the new mental health legislation, the Press Information Bureau along with media watchdog organisations like The Hoot, to publicise an advisory on requirements of privacy and confidentiality of people with mental illness as stated by the Mental Healthcare Act 2017 Chapter 5, clause 24. Events over the past week would be in contravention of the Act were it in force. *Name, Designation and Address of the public servant* · Union Health Secretary as Head, Central Mental Health Authority · Telangana State Health Secretary · DG Police, Telangana · Chair, ICSW (head NGO of Aram Ghar project) · Central Disability Commissioner · Secretary Social Welfare., Telangana END OF FORM Document submitted by email on 6 June 2017 at 6:15 pm as online form date field is preventing submission. Attachment of the same is provided with the two additional documents of media resources referenced in the main complaint form and film. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. 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