Ghana: People with Disabilities Freed from Chains

(Accra, July 7, 2017) – The Mental Health Authority of Ghana has taken steps to release 16 people, including two girls, held in shackles at Nyakumasi Prayer Camp, a spiritual healing center in the Central Region. Those freed, some of whom have mental health conditions, were taken to nearby Ankaful Psychiatric Hospital on June 30, 2017. The government should adopt and enforce a ban on shackling, said a coalition of nongovernmental and advocacy groups including MindFreedom Ghana, Mental Health Society of Ghana, Basic Needs, Law and Development Associates, Human Rights Watch, CBM, and Disability Rights Advocacy Fund. The focus now should be on investing in appropriate community-based services to support people with mental health conditions to live full and independent lives in the community and ensuring that any mental health services are based on each individual’s free and informed consent.