About

Realizing Human Rights and Social Justice in Mental Health is a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)-funded research project documenting service user experiences of coercive practices in mental health. Realizing Human Rights explores the role of recovery oriented, service-user involved organizations in advancing equity and aligning mental health services with the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) human rights framework.

Supported by a SSHRC-Insight Grant and in partnership with organizations led by people with lived experience in three countries—Canada, Kenya, and Australia—Realizing Human Rights and Social Justice in Mental Health examines current evidence on human rights violations in mental health; identifies underlying values and assumptions which shape human rights and mental health policy responses; documents service users’ experiences of human rights violations in mental health; identifies organizations which foster equity and respect for human rights; and develops frameworks and knowledge-translation strategies for equity and human rights in community-based mental health care.