The United Nations criticizes Denmark for its failures in the areas of disability and mental health treatment in a 17-page report.
The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities criticized Denmark’s policies towards people with disabilities in a detailed 17-page report. The report addressed several issues, including the increasing use of coercion in psychiatry, the disparity in support between municipalities, and the low life expectancy of people with disabilities.
Recommendations of the United Nations Disability Committee according to the report issued
- The Convention should serve as Danish law: The Committee recommends that the United Nations Convention on Disability be incorporated into Danish law.
- Comprehensive national action plan: According to the committee, Denmark should adopt a national action plan on disability, which covers all the rights and areas set out in the Convention.
- Improving inclusion: The Committee recommends that Denmark put in place binding procedures for the inclusion of persons with disabilities and consult with them closely through the organizations that represent them on all matters.
- Institutional de-enrollment: According to the Commission, Denmark should provide institutional de-enrollment strategies in all sectors for all persons with disabilities.
- Dealing with coercion in psychiatry: Denmark must stop using coercion and forced treatment of people with disabilities in prisons, in mental health institutions and in psychiatry.
Statements by the head of the Danish organization for the disabled
According to DR, Thorkild Olsen, president of the Danish Disabled Persons' Association, stated, "It is absolutely unacceptable that things are going this way." He added, "But it doesn't surprise me because I can see all the conflicts and frustrations that exist among people with disabilities." He pointed to a "very serious problem" concerning the rights of people with disabilities, which he believes are being misdirected. Among these problems, he cited the increasing use of coercion in psychiatry, a key point of criticism in the report. Over the past ten years, the number of forced restraints, restraints, and sedation procedures in emergency situations has increased by 251,000, according to the Danish Health Authority's report covering the period from summer 2022 to summer 2023.
Disparities in support and stereotypes
The report also noted uneven distribution of funds allocated to support people with disabilities across municipalities, leading to gaps in care provision. It further addressed the persistence of negative stereotypes about people with disabilities, which hinder their inclusion in the labor market and education.
Olsen stated that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities live 15 to 20 years shorter lives than the general population. He added, “Some of the worst things we experience daily is discrimination against people with disabilities in the health, education, and employment sectors, as well as the treatment we receive in municipalities.” He emphasized that this situation reflects a significant decline in the opportunities available to people with disabilities to live normal lives.
Rosa Lund's comment from the Enhedslisten party
According to DR, Rosa Lund, the Enhedslisten party's spokesperson on disability issues, described the situation as "catastrophic" and expressed her dismay at the lack of progress since the previous UN report in 2014, which also criticized the use of coercion in psychiatry. She said, "I think this is truly catastrophic. We pride ourselves on being a welfare society, a society where the strong look after the weak—and then here we are again, receiving criticism from the UN.".
Danish government position
As an initial reaction to the report, Minister for Social Affairs and Housing Sophie Håstrup Andersen announced that she would hold consultations with disability organizations in Denmark and the parties that signed the new framework agreement to improve disability policies, which was signed in May 2023.
