SOME MENTAL HEALTH TREATMENTS ARE DEGRADING e.g. ECT - The Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment orpunishment, Juan E.Méndez

Human Rights Council

Twenty

-

Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil,

political, economic, social and cultural rights,

including the right to development Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel,inhuman or degrading treatment orpunishment, Juan E.Méndez

Summary

The present report focuses on certain forms of abuses in health

care settings that may cross a threshold of mistreatment that is tantamount to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

It identifies the policies that promote these practices

and existing protection gaps.

By illustrating some of these abusive practices in health care settings, the report sheds light on often undetected forms of abusive practices that occur under the auspices of health-care policies, and emphasizes how certain treatments run afoul of the prohibition on torture and ill treatment. It identifies the scope of State‟s obligations to regulate, controland supervise health-

care practices with a view to preventing mistreatment under any pretext.

The Special Rapporteur examines a number of the abusive practices commonlyreported in health care settings and describes how the torture and ill treatment framework

applies in this context.

The examples of torture and ill treatment in health settings

discussed likely represent a small fraction of this global problem.