The Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission held discussions with the visiting United Nations Special Rapporteur, on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, Dainius Pūras.
Commission’s Director, Ashwin Raj says the discussions were on the impact of sexual and gender-based violence as well as the scourge in drugs, suicides, bullying, and corporal punishment.
Raj says they also spoke about the legal capacity of persons with psycho-social disabilities and access to justice, accessing mental health services, reintegration, stigma, over medicalisation and pathologisation of diverse identities.
He says another area of discussion that they covered is reproductive health rights issues and principles of non-discrimination particularly in relation to vulnerable groups such as women in rural and remote communities, children, LGBTI and persons with disabilities.
The Commission has visited Saint Giles Hospital, Stress Management Unit at Labasa Hospital, Vunidawa Hospital and Twomey Hospital in Suva to attend to complainants and is also providing human rights education training in schools on pressing issues such as corporal punishment, bullying, child abuse, and suicide.
