“Local and regional authorities can make a valuable contribution to the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights on involuntary detention and treatment for mental health reasons”, stressed Congress President Marc Cools, speaking on 27 March 2024 at the Conference on "Of Unsound Mind".
The President stressed that local and regional authorities can offer relevant alternatives to avoid the internment of people suffering from mental health disorders, and enable them to remain in their communities. In this regard, he highlighted "the absolute necessity of raising awareness of human rights and fundamental freedoms among local and regional elected representatives and their administrations, on the one hand, to prevent placement decisions leading to a violation of Article 5 of the Convention, and on the other, to bring local elected representatives face to face with their responsibilities when it comes to the deplorable conditions of establishments for which they are responsible for management or control, and in which treatment and care are delivered."
The President also underlined that in order to remedy these situations, local and regional authorities must have adequate skills, training and financial resources. For its part, the Congress is fully committed to strengthening the role of local and regional authorities, both in enforcing the judgments of the Court, and in developing a better level of prevention in the treatment of people suffering from mental health disorders at local or regional level.
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