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www.conventionyes.org

STAR RATING: 5/5

There are more than 500 million people in the world with a  disability and every day millions of them are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment including forced institutionalisation and abuse, writes Kay Sheldon.

But there are insufficient legal protections to safeguard rights, especially in developing countries.

This campaigning website is hoping to change this by calling for action on the United Nations "Comprehensive International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities".

As the website points out, state governments have been negotiating the convention since 2002 and over the next seven months, member states will decide whether to adopt the Convention.

The ConventionYES website is running an online petition urging all governments to ratify a strong convention. The website also has an action centre that contains information, resources and opportunities to participate in lobbying and advocacy work.


The World Network of (ex) Users and Survivors of Psychiatry has been very active throughout the Convention, lobbying for full legal capacity and no deprivation of liberty based on disability, no forced interventions.

Visit the website, find out about the Convention and sign the petition!

Kay Sheldon is a mental health service user