ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the various international human rights instruments and treaty bodies which possess monitoring and redress mandates relevant to mental health, and provides some background on their creation and the laws they protect. Many uneducated citizens, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, remain unaware of their human rights, with information poorly disseminated. Frequently, international monitoring mechanisms are limited to self-reporting—with reports often lodged tardily or not at all. Rather than judicial or quasi-judicial enforcement mechanisms, most international human rights instruments rely upon the good faith of member states to comply with treaty terms, cooperate with monitoring bodies, and provide requested information. The UN special procedures can communicate with states about alleged human rights violations regardless of whether or not a victim has exhausted domestic remedies. The UN mandates of the most relevance to mental health are the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, and the Special Rapporteur on health.
