What Are Human Rights?

Human rights are the fundamental rights and freedoms that every person is entitled to simply by being human. These rights are shared by all people, no matter where they live or who they are. They are interconnected and mutually reinforcing, and they belong to everyone regardless of sex, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, nationality, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other status or circumstance.

Human rights cover everything from the right to life and personal freedom, to protection from slavery and torture, to being able to speak freely, work, and access education. These rights belong to every person, and no one should be denied them or treated differently when claiming them.

International human rights law sets out the responsibilities of Governments, explaining the actions they are required to take and the actions they must avoid. These duties exist to ensure that human rights and fundamental freedoms are promoted and protected for both individuals and groups.

Governments that have ratified human rights treaties have obligations to respect, protect, and fulfil these rights under international law. At the same time, individuals also have a responsibility to respect the rights of others.

In the United Kingdom, human rights are safeguarded by the Human Rights Act 1998. This act ensures that all public authorities, including the government, police, NHS, and local authorities, treat everyone equally, with respect, dignity, and fairness.

Key Human Rights included, but not limited to:

  • The right to life, liberty, and personal security.
  • Freedom from slavery and torture.
  • Freedom of opinion and expression.
  • Freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.
  • The right to work and education.
  • The right to an adequate standard of living, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care.
  • The right to a fair trial and equality before the law. 

What Is Mental Health?

Mental health includes a person’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing how they think, feel, and behave. It reflects a state that enables people to manage stress, use their abilities, work effectively, and participate in their communities. Mental health is important at every stage of life and is more than the absence of mental illness-it is a central part of overall health.

The Meaning of Mental Health:

Emotional and psychological well-being: How a person understands and manages their thoughts and feelings.
Social well-being: How someone connects with others and participates in their community.
Coping with life: A person’s capacity to deal with stress, build relationships, and make decisions.
Functioning: The ability to learn, work, and carry out everyday tasks.

Factors that influence mental health:

Biological factors: Genetics, brain chemistry, and other physical influences.
Psychological factors: Personal history, including early experiences, trauma, and how past events were processed.
Environmental factors: Social, cultural, and economic conditions – such as poverty, inequality, discrimination, or exposure to violence – that affect daily life and well-being.

Mental health exists on a spectrum. Just as physical health can change over time, so can mental health. People may experience phases of stability and times when things feel more difficult. A mental health condition may develop when changes in thoughts, feelings, or behaviours cause distress and start to interfere with everyday functioning.
Everyone has mental health – and it does not mean being positive or happy all the time.

What can directly affect a person’s mental health?

  • Society
  • Inequality
  • Early life experiences
  • Genetics
  • Medical challenges
  • Trauma
  • Significant life changes  
  • Private and family life

Mental Health Challenges

A mental disorder involves a noticeable change in a person’s thinking, emotions, or behaviour that causes distress or makes it difficult to manage daily life. There are many forms of mental disorders, and they are often described using the broader term “mental health conditions.”

This wider term includes mental disorders as well as psychosocial disabilities and other mental states that lead to significant distress, challenges in functioning, or increased risk of self-harm. This section focuses on mental disorders as defined in the International Classification of Diseases, 11th Revision (ICD-11).

It is also vital to recognise different mental health conditions, including:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Schizophrenia
  • Eating disorders
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder
  • Borderline personality disorder

By prioritising mental health, individuals can fully engage with their families, friends, and communities, contributing to a more fulfilling life for themselves and those around them.

Mental Health Care and Human Rights

The Human Rights Act 1998 helps protect the rights and dignity of people who experience mental ill health. It makes sure that mental health services treat people fairly, with respect, and without discrimination. It also reminds us that mental health is a universal human right – something every person deserves.

Using a human rights-based approach in mental health care means focusing on people as human beings first. It means listening to their experiences, supporting their choices, and helping them stay in control of their own lives. For many people, mental health problems can affect how they feel, think, and live day to day – and mental ill health can often affect people’s physical health too. A rights-focused approach recognises this and aims to give people the support they need to feel safe, understood, and included.

Changes connected to the Mental Health Act are encouraging services to move away from long-term institutional care and towards support within communities. This helps people stay connected to their lives, families, and routines, instead of being placed in restrictive settings.

Reducing restrictive practices, strengthening safeguards, and offering more community-based support are essential steps toward a mental health system that truly respects and protects every person’s rights.

Human Rights Violations

Human rights violations in the context of mental health have been a long-standing topic.

Access to essential care to achieve the highest standard of health is often limited, and sources indicate that mental health spending in the WHO European region remains low, with only around 2% of total health expenditure allocated to mental health. Furthermore, there are many accounts of unlawful mental health services displaying tendencies towards force and institutionalisation.

Preventing human rights violations should be the driving force behind mental health reforms, acknowledging that the right to the highest standard of physical and mental health is interconnected with all human rights.

Violation of Human Rights of People with Mental Health Challenges

People who experience mental health challenges can sometimes find their basic rights overlooked or denied, especially in moments when they may feel most vulnerable. These violations can happen in hospitals, care settings, workplaces, or within communities – often without clear intention, but with real impact on a person’s dignity and autonomy.

One common issue is when people are not fully involved in decisions about their own care. Their views may be dismissed, or choices may be made on their behalf without proper consideration. The Mental Capacity Act exists to protect people in these situations. It states that everyone should be supported to make their own decisions wherever possible, and that any decision made for someone else must be in their best interests and be the least restrictive option. When these principles are ignored, a person’s rights are at risk.

Restrictive practices – such as unnecessary restraint, seclusion, or limiting a person’s freedom – can also violate human rights when used inappropriately. These practices can leave people feeling powerless, unheard, and unsafe.

Stigma and discrimination play a major role too. People with mental health challenges may be treated as less capable, face unfair treatment in employment or housing, or have poorer access to physical healthcare. These everyday inequalities can cause deep harm and reinforce a sense of exclusion.

In some cases, people are placed far from home or kept in institutional environments for long periods, which disrupts family relationships and disconnects them from their communities. Poor safeguards, inconsistent support, or environments where people feel frightened or silenced further contribute to rights being undermined.

Human rights violation happens when a person’s autonomy, dignity, safety, or equality is compromised. People with mental health challenges deserve care that listens to them, respects their choices, supports their independence, and upholds the rights that every human being is entitled to.

Violation of Human Rights in Mental Health Institutions

When the right community-based mental health support is not available, many people end up staying in hospitals or out-of-area placements (OAPs) for far longer than they need to. These extended stays are not always because the person requires ongoing hospital treatment, but because the right support, housing, or personalised care is simply not in place to help them move forward.

For the person, this can mean long periods with little choice or control. Days can become repetitive, with limited opportunities to socialise, be active, or enjoy the hobbies that bring comfort, identity, or joy. Without personalised support that focuses on recovery, people can feel stuck – waiting for progress that depends more on system delays than on their own readiness to step into the community.

In some services, support is not always built around the person’s strengths or aspirations. A lack of meaningful activities, outdoor time, education, or physical exercise can slowly erode confidence and wellbeing. For many, the experience of being far from home adds another layer of isolation, making it harder to maintain relationships or stay connected to family and community life.

Wider system issues also play a role. Mental health often receives a small share of health budgets, which limits the availability of community-based options that could prevent long hospital stays in the first place. These gaps in support can unintentionally lead to situations where people’s rights – particularly their right to family life, independence, dignity, and participation – are not fully upheld.

The WHO highlights the importance of shifting towards community-based mental health services that follow a human rights-based approach. These models focus on personalised, strengths-based support, meaningful daily activity, relationships, and recovery – all of which give people a real chance to rebuild their lives outside institutional settings.

A rights-based mental health system is one where people are not held back by the system around them, but supported to live the kind of life they choose – with connection, purpose, and dignity.

Effects of Human Rights Violation on Mental Health

Human rights violations have profound and lasting effects on mental health. Individuals that have gone through human rights abuses, such as torture and displacement, often experience trauma that profoundly affects their mental well-being. Restrictive treatment practices and institutionalisation in mental health care can further intensify the sense of powerlessness and distress for individuals with mental health challenges.

Lack of attention to human rights, discrimination, and social exclusion can contribute to low mental health outcomes and deny individuals dignity and autonomy. The neglect of mental health in public health strategies, despite its significant impact on overall health, highlights the urgent need to address human rights violations and promote the well-being of people with mental health challenges.

Tackling Human Rights Violations in Mental Health

People with mental health challenges deserve dignity, respect, and autonomy, and their rights must be supported to promote their well-being and inclusion in society.

Tackling human rights violations in mental health requires a comprehensive and inclusive approach. Countries need to review their mental health legislation and engage with civil society, including users and providers of mental health services. This approach is crucial for successful mental health reform. Additionally, reforms should align with international human rights standards, including the UN CRPD.

Community-based care is crucial for replacing mental health institutions and dismantling stigma by emphasising human dignity and rights. Additionally, the imbalances within mental health systems need to be addressed, and support must be more equitably distributed to those who need it the most.

Nurseline Community Services is a Dedicated Advocate of Human Rights

At Nurseline Community Services, we believe every person has the right to live with dignity, choice, and connection. We actively challenge stigma surrounding mental health and work to remove the barriers that hold people back from living the life they want.

Our support is personalised and community-based. We shape care around each person’s needs, strengths, and aspirations, creating plans that feel meaningful and achievable. This approach helps people rebuild independence, develop stability, and stay connected to the people and places that matter to them.

Our multidisciplinary teams – including mental health nurses, community psychiatric nurses (CPNs), occupational therapists, and other specialists – work together to provide consistent, skilled support. This collaboration ensures that people are not left navigating multiple services alone, especially during times of uncertainty.

A key part of our work is our urgent crisis response, available 24/7. This rapid support helps people stay safe at home, reducing the need for hospital admission and offering an alternative to long stays in institutional settings. By providing timely intervention, emotional support, and clinical oversight, we help stabilise crises early and keep recovery rooted in the community.

To learn more about our mental health support services, we encourage you to reach out to our offices in Bristol or Gloucester, or contact us today.