Regional network to promote legal capacity of people with psychosocial disabilities

Funded by the Open Society Institute, the project seeks to establish a network of five countries to promote awareness of the legal capacities of persons with psychosocial disabilities. 10 multisector workshops were held in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, training a total of 355 key stakeholders.

Problems Targeted

Persons with psychosocial disabilities are systematically denied their right to recognition as persons before the law and their right to legal capacity by their own countries' civil codes. The Trust for the Americas works to raise awareness about Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which recognizes those rights.

Solution, Innovation and Impact

The project was launched in two phases. The first phase (January–April 2012) focused on mapping the state of affairs of the Legal Capacity of Persons with Psychosocial Disabilities in six countries: Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Paraguay, and Peru. During the second phase (November 2012–December 2013) a series of workshops was held in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru to provide participants with a solid understanding of disability paradigms, the CRPD, and specific situations identified during the mapping.

Funding, Outlook and Transferability

To ensure the continued impact and legacy of the project, a Network of Organizations and Individuals with Psychosocial Disabilities was created to monitor the legal and practical aspects of the implementation of CRPD, and to advocate for the rights of the people with psychosocial disabilities. The project can also be transferred and replicated in other countries, following the guidelines found in the Trust’s Legal Capacity Advocacy Toolbox.

Pictures

Members of the Peruvian justice system attend a project workshop at the Congress of the Republic of Peru.