Dr Neeraj Gill
1School of Medicine and Dentistry, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
Biography:
Neeraj Gill is Professor of Psychiatry at Griffith University and a senior consultant psychiatrist at Gold Coast Hospital and Health Service.
Neeraj is the secretary of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) Section on Psychiatry, Law and Ethics. In 2019, he served as a member of the Independent Health Advice Panel (the so-called Medevac Panel), appointed by the Department of Home Affairs, Australian Government. He was an elected director on the Board of the RANZCP from 2020 to 2023. He was the Regional Vice-President, Oceania, World Federation for Mental Health (WFMH) from 2023 to 2025.
Abstract:
The "Geneva Impasse" refers to a disagreement within the United Nations (UN) human rights system regarding whether coercive care can ever be permitted in health care. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD Committee) has called for abolition all forced psychiatric treatment and confinement. On the contrary, the UN Human Rights Committee (HRC) and the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (SPT) have recognised that deprivation of liberty or detention of people with disabilities should only be used when it is absolutely necessary to prevent serious harm to the individual or injury to others, as last resort measure with strong safeguards.
This polarising debate has detracted from giving effect to the CRPD at national level. This talk is based on a joint paper by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) on a way forward. Rather than being stalled by this debate, both the WHO and WPA are calling for all countries to take concrete action at policy, service and clinical practice levels to promote non-coercive practices, that respect people’s rights, dignity and choice. This talk also argues for an obligation of all the States Parties to promote the economic, social and cultural rights, which would then pave the way for protection of civil and political rights of people with disabilities, including mental/psychosocial disabilities.