'Living in hell': mentally ill people in Indonesia chained and confined

[unhappycamper]

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/mar/21/living-in-hell-indonesia-mentally-ill-people-chained-confined-human-rights-watch-report

Lack of mental health care and community support leaves nearly 19,000 Indonesians vulnerable to outlawed practice, finds Human Rights Watch

'Living in hell': mentally ill people in Indonesia chained and confined
Sam Jones
Sunday 20 March 2016 23.01 EDT

Almost 40 years after Indonesia banned the practice of shackling people with mental health conditions, nearly 19,000 are still living in chains, or are locked up in institutions where they are vulnerable to abuse, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).

The study says that although pasung – shackling or confining people with psychosocial disabilities – was banned in 1977, enduring stigma and a chronic lack of mental health care and community support services mean its use remains widespread.

People subjected to pasung can have their ankles bound with chains or wooden stocks for hours, days, months or even years. They are often kept outside, naked and unable to wash.

Recent figures from the Indonesian government suggest that more than 57,000 people in Indonesia have endured pasung at least once, while an estimated 18,800 are currently chained or locked up.