Welcome to the 21st WCP Virtual Congress Program Scheduling

Globalization is exposing old and new forms of violations of human rights worldwide, particularly against people with severe mental illness. Global mental health efforts without discussions and actions to protect human rights would fail the purpose of caring for the most vulnerable. In general terms, there is global agreement on the need and importance of human rights, yet gross and subtle violations of those keep happening, sometimes justified with cultural relativism and nations’ sovereignty over ‘domestic affairs’. Complaints are frequently silenced and rarely followed by action. In this session, an international panel of speakers will hold an honest conversation on the current global state of human rights as they affect mental health, and will be a call for colleagues to become active advocates for social justice. At a clinical level, many psychiatrists are responsible for the care of victims of persecution, torture, and other violations, which take a toll on victim’s mental health. At global research, policymaking, and networking level, psychiatrists are required to engage in courageous cross-cultural conversations and actions to ensure the human rights of everyone, everywhere, especially of people with mental disorders. The session will be chaired by Prof. Schulze, Secretary of Scientific Sections of WPA; and the panel will include Prof. Wenzel, an expert in psychiatric care for victims of torture; Dr. Handuleh, a psychiatric trainee in Ethiopia with lived experience of war; and Dr. Pereira-Sanchez, a psychiatrist in New York, founder of the World Network of Psychiatric Trainees and the Global Mental Health Think Tank.