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Poddar Foundation & Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission set up a Discussion to Raise Awareness about Rights of People with Mental Disabilities

Discussion to be held on World Human Rights Day, December 10 at Sahyadri State Guest House, Malabar Hill, Mumbai

Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra to be the Hon’ble Chief Guest

Speakers include Shri. V.K. Gautam, Additional Chief Secretary, Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC); Mr. M.A. Sayeed, Acting Chairperson, MSHRC; Dr Rashmi Poddar, Trustee, Poddar Foundation; Dr. Prakriti Poddar, Managing Trustee, Poddar Foundation

Mumbai, Dec 2019: With aggravating burden of mental illnesses including depression, anxiety and chronic stress, India needs to ensure that mental health is recognized and assured as a human right. On World Human Rights Day, Poddar Foundation is collaborating with State Human Rights Commission of Maharashtra to highlight the oft neglected subject of mental health and the need to devise strategies to support mental wellness for millions of Indians.

‘Human Rights for Mental Health’, a discussion to be held on December 10, is aimed at highlighting the International Standards for Human Rights in Mental Health and strategies for future adoption in India. The discussion being organized by Poddar Foundation and Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission will be presided over byShri Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Governor of Maharashtra as Chief Guest.

The discussion will bring together the various stakeholders to discuss the multiple perspectives and shed light on the importance of Human Rights for mental illnesses, from which millions of people continue to suffer without access to medical or counseling help.

“Through this discussion, we aim to highlight some global strategies to address the rising burden and discuss ways to eliminate the stigma around mental health and provide dignity and liberty to the affected. Factors influencing mental health such as workplace stress, academic stress, depression in the geriatric population covers an entire spectrum of people that need to seek help, but don’t have access or knowledge about it. It is essential for us as a country to devise coherent strategies to address this problem because no country can achieve true progress and development if a substantial part of its population is living with unresolved mental health issues,” said Dr. Prakriti Poddar, Managing Trustee, Poddar Foundation.

The awareness is aimed to provide a spectrum of understanding to the various stakeholders that interact with the people, for example, the police force, who are in daily contact with people with mental disabilities, the lawyers, magistrates and judges who make important decisions concerning the lives of people with mental disabilities. The need for stress management and mental health recovery for the Armed Forces, the Police Force and other high stress professions will also be discussed. The need to make mental health insurance easily available to all will also be a centre of discussion.

The speakers include Dr. Rashmi Poddar, Trustee, Poddar Foundation; Mr. M.A. Sayeed, Acting Chairperson, MSHRC; Shri. V.K. Gautam, Additional Chief Secretary, MSHRC; Shri Sanjay Macwan, Vice President Partnership, IJM South Asia; Professor Rashim Oza, Mumbai University; Shri Brijesh Kumar Singh (IPS), IGP Maharashtra Cyber; Dr. K.M. Parivelan, Tata Institute of Social Sciences; Shri Kersi Chavda, Psychiatrist and Consultant at Hinduja National Hospital and Sir H N Reliance Foundation Hospital; Ms. Annie Dube’, Consul General of Canada - International Standard of Mental Health and Human Rights; and Ms. Melissa, IJM (International Justice Mission).