Behind Closed Doors: The Human Rights Conditions of Persons with Mental Disabilities in Ethiopian Psychiatric Facilities

Abstract

The Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) headquartered at Central EuropeanUniversity has been carrying out a series of studies in Eastern and Central EuropeanCountries on the condition of persons with mental disabilities, (hereinafter, PWMDs), inpsychiatric facilities titled as "behind closed doors". So far, neither the EthiopianHuman Rights Commission nor any other international human rights organization hasaired any report from Ethiopian psychiatric facilities. This article is an attempt to unveilthe human rights conditions of PWMDs "behind closed doors" in Ethiopia. As asignatory to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (hereinafter,CRPD), Ethiopia has undertaken to take all appropriate measures for the full inclusionand participation of persons with disabilities in the life of the mainstream society.However, the Country has failed to meet its obligations. Among other things, theabsence of a special mental health law for the protection of the rights of PWMDs, nor abody that safeguards their condition in psychiatric facilities, the irregularities with theimplementation of existing schemes and lack of coordination among responsiblegovernment bodies leave many PWMDs without much-needed support. These peopleare suffering from various forms of human rights violations behind closed doors inaddition to lack of access to mental health services. This article has thus an objective ofassessing the human rights conditions of PWMDs at the psychiatric settings in twoselected facilities: the Amanuel Hospital and the Gefersa Mental Health Rehabilitation Center, which are the only major mental health hospital and a rehabilitation center in the country, respectively. The author believes that the assessment of the two institutionswould represent the countrywide perspective.