The AASW has advocated, and continues to advocate, for a human rights approach to mental health care. This is in keeping with Goal 3 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which addresses “good health and well-being”, Target 3.4 specifically addressing the promotion of mental health. It also aligns with the three core values in The AASW’s Code of Ethics: Respect for Persons, Social Justice, and Professional Integrity. Social workers maintain a dual focus in their work, appreciating the needs of the people they work with, while also understanding the systemic and cultural issues that contribute to their illness. The United Nations Human Rights Commission writes that, “in the case of mental health, determinants include low socioeconomic status, violence and abuse, adverse childhood experiences, [and] early childhood development.” (United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, 2017). 

The AASW ascribes to the principles of mental health care set out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. We welcome the adopted resolution of the Human Rights Council in July 2016, which seeks to embed a human-rights, rather than deficit-based, framework into international formulations of mental health care. This resolution highlights that forced medication and deprivation of liberty in the treatment of experiencing mental issues is a contravention of their human rights.