U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry Launches the “Human Rights for ALL” Tour

Series of Community Teach-ins to raise awareness about human rights and the UN Disability Convention
Washington, DC | June 22, 2009 | The U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (USNUSP), a newly-formed human rights education and advocacy network, is launching a ten-city tour to raise awareness among users and survivors of psychiatry and their allies about the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The tour kicks off on June 22, 2009 in New York, NY and travel over the next six weeks to Philadelphia, PA; Washington, DC; Baltimore and Silver Spring, MD; Richmond, VA; Chicago, IL; St. Louis, MO; Topeka, KS; Denver, CO; and conclude in San Francisco, CA in mid-July. For the complete schedule, please visit www.usnusp.org/upcoming_events.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted on December 13, 2006 and entered into force on May 3, 2008. The Convention represents a radical paradigm shift away from viewing people with disabilities as "objects" of treatment and guardianship to active agents in their own lives, deserving of the human rights inherent to all people. To date, 139 nations have signed the CRPD and 58 have ratified; there is a growing movement of activists working for U.S. ratification.

Some of the issues to be covered in the “Human Rights for ALL” teach-ins will include: a discussion on why the U.S. should ratify the CRPD; the most innovative human rights principles in the CRPD and how they apply to people with psychiatric disabilities; and strategies for using the CRPD as a human rights instrument in states and communities. Said Daniel Hazen, co-coordinator of USNUSP and lead teach-in presenter: “The ‘Human Rights For ALL Tour’ is designed to spark a dialogue about the CRPD, but I also want to facilitate conversations about how users and survivors of psychiatry, together with allies, cross-disability and human rights coalitions, can use the human rights framework and mechanisms to bring an end to violations and promote a culture of dignity and respect for everyone, once and for all.”

Jim Gottstein, psychiatric survivor and President/CEO of the Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights) said, "PsychRights is pleased to co-sponsor and support the ‘Human Rights for ALL’ tour. Educational initiatives like this are essential for the development of a stronger human rights culture in the U.S.” The “Human Rights for ALL” tour is being co-sponsored by a wide variety of local and national psychiatric user/survivor, youth, disability rights, and independent living organizations, including: The Center for Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (CHRUSP), Community Alliance for the Ethical Treatment of Youth (CAFETY), Freedom Center, The Icarus Project, The Law Project for Psychiatric Rights (PsychRights), Maryland Disability Law Center (MDLC), MindFreedom International, The Opal Project, Silver Spring Drop In Center, Statewide Independent Living Council of Kansas (SILCK), and Youth POWER!

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About the U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry: The U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry seeks to facilitate connections among users and survivors of psychiatry and to engage in human rights education, advocacy, and movement building.

For more information, contact:
Leah Harris, Co-coordinator, U.S. Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry
Tel: (202) 236-7747 Email: leah_ida@hotmail.com Web: www.usnusp.org