The practice of shackling and confining people with mental health conditions to restrict their movements, or pasung, is still common in Indonesia. They are forced by their families and society to stay in isolated rooms, bound with chains and wooden beams, because of the misconception that they are physically aggressive or dangerous. Many of them have been shackled for years due to pressures from the community.
Caption: People in pasung eat, drink urinate and defecate in place. This young man has been caged since about 2009. Photo credit: ©Jefta Images/Barcroft Media/Barcroft Media via Getty Images.
Dr Heni Dwi Windarwati, a mental health activist in East Java, has vowed to help release people with mental health conditions from pasung. She estimates that there are around 12,000 people in pasung in East Java alone. Together with her team, she has managed to free 600 people from pasung, supported their recovery, and integrated them back to the community.
In a recent article, Dr Heni talks about her calling to fight for the human rights of people with mental health conditions, her unique approach in releasing hundreds of people from pasung, and her belief in having more women in leadership positions in health. The article was written by Sukma Dwi Andrina – Gender, Equity and Human Rights Officer, WHO Indonesia, and it has been selected as one of the stories in the “What if …” series developed by the UN Development Coordination Office.
The story has been published on the United Nations Sustainable Development Group (UN SDG) website: https://unsdg.un.org/latest/stories/what-ifpasung-were-ended-indonesia