The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) held an international seminar on the human rights of the mentally challenged on December 7, 2006 in an attempt to review the human rights status of South Korea" s mentally handicapped people against international norms and standards and to explore possible ways to improve the situation. Human rights of the mentally disabled is one of the most vulnerable areas of human rights in Korean Society.
The Commission invited three foreign experts for the seminar: Mr. Clarence J. Sundram, a lawyer and the chairperson of Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI); Mr. Daniel B. Fisher, a psychiatrist, ex-member of the U.S. Chairperson" s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, and the incumbent executive director of the National Empowerment Center; and Mr. Geoff Huggins, head of the Mental Health Division for the Scottish Executive Health Department, who had managed the practical aspects of the recent reform of the Scottish Mental Health Act.
To deepen and broaden their understanding of the human rights situation of the mentally challenged in South Korea, the three experts visited a range of mental health facilities in Korea on December 4 and 5. The following day, December 6, they had a meeting with directors representing mental health-related academies and associations as well as representatives of groups of mentally challenged persons and their families. Before attending the seminar on December 7, the experts had a luncheon with members of the Health and Welfare Committee of the Korean National Assembly, upon invitation.To begin the seminar, Mr. Kyong-Whan Ahn, the chairperson of the NHRCK, delivered an introductory speech that described the background of the seminar based on human rights violation cases unveiled through both investigations triggered by complaints and suo moto investigations initiated by the NHRCK. Following the NHRCK chairperson" s address, Mr. Choon-Jin Kim, a National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee member, delivered a congratulatory speech to celebrate the opening of such a meaningful international seminar in Korea. After the two opening speeches, Mr. Soo-Churl Cho, a professor at the Neuropsychiatry Department of Seoul National University College of Medicine, assumed the podium to facilitate the seminar. Mr. Sundram delivered a presentation entitled " International Human Rights Law and Mental Health Reform" while the presentations by Mr. Fisher and Mr. Huggins examined the themes of " Recovery Through Empowerment" and " Features and Merits of Scottish Mental Health Act and Major Issues in the Legislation Process," respectively. To close the seminar, Mr. No-Hyun Kwak, secretary general of the NHRCK, presented a comprehensive summary encompassing all of the themes addressed at the seminar..
