In a report released today, the humanitarian organization warns of the existence of 60 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and the Americas, where it is frequent practice to chain men, women and even children, some under the age of 10, in confined spaces, during weeks, months or even years.
“Although several countries are paying more attention to the issue of mental health, the practice of chaining remains outside the ‘radar’. There are no international or regional data or efforts to eradicate the chain, ”criticizes Human Rights Watch (HRW).
For this reason, the organization says, HRW is preparing, together with mental health specialists with experience in this issue and with human rights organizations from around the world, the launch of a global campaign (#BreakTheChains) on the occasion of the Day World Mental Health Conference, to be held on 10 October.
“The objective is to end the shackling of people with mental health problems”, he explains, in a statement.
“Chaining people with mental health problems is a widespread brutal practice that is a secret to jumping jacks in many communities,” says Human Rights Watch disability rights investigator and author of the report, Kriti Sharma.
“People can spend years chained to a tree, locked in a cage or in a sheep shed, because families struggle to survive and governments do not provide adequate mental health services,” he says, adding that many families are afraid of being stigmatized.
“Many are forced to eat, sleep, urinate and defecate in a tiny area. In public or private institutions or in traditional or religious healing centers, they are often forced to fast, take medicines or herbal mixtures and face physical and sexual violence, ”warns the report.
HRW points out cases in Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Ghana, Indonesia, Kenya, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Palestine, in the self-proclaimed independent state of Somaliland, South Sudan and Yemen.
Among the 350 interviews carried out in 110 countries to carry out the report, the researchers found examples of people with mental disabilities and therefore chained in all age groups, ethnicities, religions, socioeconomic strata and urban and rural areas.
“This is not how a human being should live. A human being must be free, ”a man from Kenya, who currently lives in chains, told the HRW researcher.
“Chaining is typically practiced by families who believe that mental health conditions are the result of evil spirits or sin. They often consult with healers first and only go to mental health services as a last resort, ”explained Sharma.
“I have been in chains for five years. The chain is so heavy. This is not right, it makes me sad. I am in a small room with seven other men. I am not allowed to wear clothes, only underwear. Like a morsel in the morning and, if I’m lucky, I have bread at night, but not always, ”described Paul, a man with a mental health problem who lives in Kisumu, Kenya, and is quoted in the report.
Without adequate access to sanitation, soap or even basic health care, people in chains are at greater risk of contracting covid-19, warns HRW.
“And in countries where the covid-19 pandemic has interrupted access to mental health services, people are at greater risk of being chained,” adds the organization.
A Mozambican woman recounts her experience saying that she was taken to a traditional healing center where she was cut off her wrists to introduce medication and then taken to a center where a sorcerer forced her to bathe with chicken blood.
“People in the neighborhood say I’m crazy (or n’lhanyi),” says Fiera, 42, who lives in Maputo.
“In the absence of adequate mental health support and a lack of knowledge, many families feel that they have no option but to chain their relatives. They are often concerned about the possibility of the person running away or hurting themselves or others, ”reports the HRW researcher.
Sharma stresses that the practice “affects mental and physical health” and can cause “post-traumatic stress, malnutrition, infections, nerve damage, muscle atrophy and cardiovascular problems”, in addition to denying the dignity that is due to all humans.
“It is horrible that hundreds of thousands of people around the world live in chains, isolated, abused and alone”, said the researcher, stressing that “governments must stop sweeping this problem under the rug and act really and immediately ”.
“Governments have to act urgently to ban chains, reduce stigma and develop quality, affordable and affordable community mental health services,” demands HRW.
The authorities, appealed to the organization, “must immediately order inspections and regularly monitor public and private institutions to take appropriate measures against abusive installations”.
Worldwide, one in 10 people (about 792 million) has mental health problems, but governments spend less than 2% of their health budgets on mental health, the report concludes.
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