About Us

What We Offer

DPO Support

CHRUSP supports user/survivor organizations, individual advocates, and allies to understand and work with CRPD standards in international and national advocacy to abolish forced psychiatry.

Expert Consultation

CHRUSP provides expert consultation to United Nations bodies, other intergovernmental bodies, governments, NGOs and other interested parties, related to standard-setting and application, legal reforms and litigation, policy and practices

Learning Resources

CHRUSP offers learning resources and networking for survivors and allies through the CHRUSP website Library, the Absolute Prohibition campaign and CRPD Course

Areas of Work

Since its founding in 2009, CHRUSP has pursued five areas of work related to its mission:

Shaping Consensus on Interpretation of the CRPD

Shaping Consensus on Interpretation of the CRPD has been largely achieved through the adoption of key documents by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – most significantly General Comment No. 1, the Guidelines on Article 14, and the Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization.

Other mechanisms such as the Special Rapporteur on Torture and Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, along with some country reforms, have contributed to the norm by building on it and applying it in specialized areas or in practice.

As a result of survivor advocacy, not only do we have international law enshrining full legal capacity and prohibiting detention and forced treatment in mental health settings, but also a recognition that forced interventions amount to torture and other ill treatment, and that reparations are owed to survivors. We also have acknowledgment that support services outside a medical model are needed for personal crisis and other experiences of distress or unusual perceptions.

CHRUSP has played a significant role in these developments, building on Tina’s earlier work with WNUSP to formulate the norms in the Convention text and inform the earliest interpretive documents. CHRUSP activities related to shaping the consensus include submissions to UN consultations, participation in expert meetings, proactive campaigns, side events and thematic briefings, and more.

There remain some human rights mechanisms that adhere to pre-CRPD standards that allow forced psychiatry with procedural safeguards. This is a matter for further advocacy through monitoring and enforcement activities. A lower human rights standard elsewhere does not change the interpretation of CRPD or states parties’ obligations.

See our Library pages for human rights documents and advocacy materials in areas of interest.

Law Reform Initiatives

Law Reform for full legal capacity and abolition of forced interventions is a great challenge. A few countries – Peru, Colombia, Mexico – have recognized full legal capacity for adults, and one – Mexico – has recognized the right to full legal capacity specifically in the right to refuse mental health services. None of these has yet resulted in the elimination of detention and forced interventions in practice, but litigation is under way to enforce the Mexican reform, in which CHRUSP has submitted an amicus brief.

CHRUSP contributes to law reform in solidarity with DPOs at the country level, in several ways including through our work on standard-setting (shaping and refining the consensus on what the CRPD requires). We pay keen attention to reform initiatives that aim for CRPD compliance, and promote those that meet the criteria.

Monitoring and Enforcement of CRPD Norms

Monitoring and Enforcement of CRPD Norms is done through advocacy, strategic litigation, and reporting to human rights mechanisms. This work is essential to change law and policy and to put reforms into practice.

CHRUSP promotes shadow reporting by user/survivor organizations and the sharing of information about successful reporting work, through its extensive networking relationships. CHRUSP regularly supports user/survivor organizations in their advocacy and shadow reporting under the CRPD and other treaties.

In the United States, where we are based, CHRUSP has advocated the ratification of CRPD and submitted shadow reports to available mechanisms (this country has not ratified CRPD).

CHRUSP has submitted amicus briefs and third party interventions to the CRPD Committee (communications procedure under the Optional Protocol), the European Court for Human Rights and the Supreme Judicial Court of Mexico.

Education and Awareness-Raising

Education and Awareness-Raising are a large part of CHRUSP’s work and closely relate to shaping the consensus on interpretation.

CHRUSP provides a rich archive of resource materials for advocates through this website and the CRPD Course site.

CHRUSP contributes to building the capacity of all interested parties through UN consultations and expert meetings, side events, webinars, and outreach to DPOs and allies through international networking forums. We often raise leading-edge issues in normative development, contributing to shaping and refining consensus as new challenges and opportunities emerge.

We support DPOs in particular to understand the CRPD norms and how to use them, through participation in international networks (such as WNUSP), webinars, invited presentations, and both formal and informal ongoing relationships of cooperation and information-sharing.

The Absolute Prohibition Campaign is an example of our capacity-building and shaping of consensus combined. We solicited blog posts to demonstrate civil society support of the CRPD absolute prohibition of involuntary commitment and forced treatment after the adoption of the Guidelines on Article 14. Out of that activity we started an email group to share information and promote collaboration.

Extending the Analysis

Extending the Analysis of the CRPD to areas previously neglected is needed to complete the normative framework and avoid any loopholes.

This area of work allows CHRUSP to follow emerging issues and contribute to them, often finding that they become core parts of the consensus.

Criminal law and the rights of prisoners, with respect to persons with disabilities, are governed by Article 14 on liberty and security of the person, but Article 14 provides little detail. Advocacy by the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, and Tina’s individual writings, helped to shape consensus on abolition of the insanity defense as a CRPD norm. The details of a disability justice approach to criminal responsibility remains an active issue, along with the application of the Article 12 framework for support in exercising legal capacity to justice intermediaries. CHRUSP contributes through the Access to Justice Knowledge Hub.

CHRUSP has also contributed to normative discussions on the rights of older persons, in anticipation of a treaty on this subject that the Human Rights Council has agreed to develop, with working discussions beginning in 2026. CHRUSP works with the Global Alliance on the Rights of Older Persons in this area.

History

CHRUSP was conceived during the last year of the negotiations of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, in 2006. Tina Minkowitz, who had led the work on the Convention for the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, saw the need to create a human rights organization led by users and survivors of psychiatry to complement representative bodies like the World Network.

Myra Kovary and Daniel Hazen were co-founders of CHRUSP along with Tina. Past board members have included Lauren Tenney, Erick Fabris, Adinah Caro-Greene, Sonjinetta Cooper (of blessed memory), Delores Jankovich (of blessed memory), John Jones, Lucila Lopez, Celia Brown (of blessed memory).

CHRUSP initially worked closely in support of WNUSP, and Tina continued to represent WNUSP at the United Nations. Our independent activity at that time focused on the United States, where CHRUSP raised awareness about the CRPD as an instrument to abolish forced psychiatry and promoted ratification without reservations, understandings and declarations. Both on its own and together with WNUSP, the International Disability Alliance and other organizations, CHRUSP has steadily advocated an interpretation of the CRPD that supported our full legal capacity, liberty and freedom from torture without any exceptions.

CHRUSP supports user/survivor organizations and allies to contribute to the development of standards under the CRPD and change laws and practices throughout the world. Besides direct collaborations and presenting at conferences and webinars, we maintain a library of resources for this human rights work, showcased on this site.

Board Members

Tina describes the photo: Photo of Tina while she is speaking at a conference. She is seated, both hands are raised and her facial expression is determined.

President and Co-founder

Tina Minkowitz

Tina Minkowitz is an international human rights lawyer, lesbian feminist, and survivor of psychiatric institutionalization.  She is president of the Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry, which she founded with two colleagues in 2009.  She holds a JD from the City of University of New York School of Law, and an LLM in public international law, concentration in human rights, from the University of Oslo.

Tina represented the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry in the drafting and negotiations of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, introducing key provisions into the Convention to support full legal capacity and the abolition of forced psychiatric interventions and psychiatric incarceration. After adoption of the Convention, she continued to shape its interpretation by contributing to expert meetings and UN consultations. More recently she served as external reviewer for the Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization. She has also supported national reforms in Latin America and submitted amicus briefs to national and international courts.

In 2024, Tina received the “Ketil Njaa Solberg Human Rights Award for the fight against violations, abuse and coercion in mental health care” from the ReDo Human Rights Foundation.

She has a particular interest in a reparations approach to deinstitutionalization, and the reimagining of crisis and support needs outside of mental health discourse and practices. She prioritizes the abolition of forced psychiatry and seeks healing and justice for psychiatric violence. Her work also addresses criminal justice system reform and alternatives, the rights of older persons, and women’s human rights. See also https://uio.academia.edu/TinaMinkowitz and reimaginingcrisissupport.org.

Emmy describes the photo: Emmy, a youngish-looking, Han Chinese-presenting woman with a fringe and a bob. She has a green bow on her head and has large, roundish glasses. She is wearing a baggy dark grey dress. She is looking into the camera, smiling and tilting her head slightly to the side.

Board member

Emmy Charissa

She identifies as Mad, as a survivor of psychiatry, and as a person disabled by psychosocial norms and associated practices. Her background is in legislative advocacy, disability studies, Deaf studies, anthropology and sociology. In addition to her activism at both the international and national levels on issues concerning Mad people, she has been engaged in various social justice projects at the national level in her country, Singapore. These include research and advocacy on the issues confronting disabled women and girls, pan-disability advocacy, cross-disability solidarity-building, and civil society coalition-building. She believes in the power of solidarity, movement-bridging and coalition-building. Having advocated for and coordinated sign language interpreters for multiple civil society events in Singapore, she is keenly aware of the importance of language justice. She is the secretary of the Center for the Human Rights of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry.

Ann describes the photo: Ann, sitting in front of green plants, looking at the camera and smiling. She/they are a white person with short, blond hair, wearing a green shirt with a collar.

Board member

Ann Campbell

She is a human rights lawyer, personal coach and trauma specialist. Since 2005, Ann has worked with clients from marginalised and oppressed populations, conducting advocacy and strategic litigation in Europe, Africa, Asia and at the UN. Her efforts have focused on securing equality and rights for people with psychosocial disability, women, refugees and asylum seekers, and LGBTQIA+ communities. For eight years, she was Litigation Director and subsequently Co-Executive Director of Validity, an international human rights advocacy organisation specialised in the rights of persons with disabilities. Through her coaching practice, Ann provides one-to-one, non-pathologising peer support for individuals and for organisational leaders. She also has extensive experience organising and conducting trainings for diverse audiences on trauma, human rights, strategic litigation and related topics.

Ann holds an LL.M in International Human Rights Law from the University of Nottingham, and a Barrister-at-Law degree from the Honourable Society of King’s Inns in Ireland. She is a certified coach with the International Association of Trauma Recovery Coaching.  See https://riotousresilience.com/.

Aneta describes the photo: Aneta, a light-skinned woman with an oval face and soft features. She has long, thick, wavy brown hair with slightly lighter ends and dark, calm eyes. She is looking into the camera with a neutral, relaxed expression.

Board member

Aneta Genova

She is a lawyer, based in Bulgaria, working in disability human rights area since 2005, focused mostly on the human rights of persons with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities. She works on many strategic cases in Bulgaria and internationally. She also works in women human rights area, focused mainly on protection from gender based violation. In the last several areas she is seeking the cross points between disability human rights and other vulnerable groups rights. It is because the persons with disability are everywhere – they can be women or children, coming from minority groups etc., suppressed and discriminated on several grounds, which makes their situation more complicated and difficult. 

In the last 2 years Aneta managing several project related to research and solution seeking in area of protection of women and children with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities from gender based violence, rights of persons with psycho-social disabilities accused in a crime, etc. Aneta is a Chairperson of Kera Foundation, based in Bulgaria and a member of Network of Independent Experts – NIE, Bulgaria. 

Before to start her human rights career she was a judge I District court for about of 5 years. 

She is also a passionate photographer and traveler.  

Credit to our Artists

Diana describes the photo: Diana Signe Kline stands in front of her painting of a radiant heart painted in vibrant, swirling colors that seem to glow around her.

Diana Signe Kline designed the CHRUSP logo and gave valuable feedback to improve the website.

Diana describes her art and her way of living:

Energy Painting

Mixed up, confused with this world
With myself 
and make sense out of nonsense
Energy painting, 
being one with nature, 
being one with all knowing
 and not knowing 
searching for symbols, 
symbols deep in my mind 
symbols from nature, 
lost, female, knowledge, 
channel of female knowledge
 Thread strings to the cosmic consciousness 
shift the consciousness, 
female, centered world. 

 Unconditional love
Another way of looking at things
Loving harmony
Tapping into a higher consciousness 
Create a society without domination, control and exploitation of matter in competition

I want to Feel the Mother Goddess 
as she was manifested in the old times
Perhaps, a world without warfare
In balance with nature
Of equanimity 
Of sacred culture
I want to be her channel
I have always been her lover
Ailsa describes the photo: A smiling person with short curly hair wears lightly tinted glasses and a black-and-white patterned shirt. They are seated with their arms folded on a surface, wearing several rings, bracelets, and a smartwatch. The background is removed, leaving the person clearly outlined.

Ailsa Rayner is the creator of several graphics and made extensive suggestions to improve the website.

Ailsa Rayner is a mental health advocate, writer, and creative practitioner whose work bridges lived experience, human rights, and system transformation.

With extensive experience in consumer and carer representation across Australian mental health reform initiatives, Ailsa has contributed to international, national and state-level projects focused on embedding the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) into practice and policy. Her work engages with frameworks such as trauma-informed care, supported decision-making, and the elimination of coercive practices.

Ailsa’s background spans roles in systemic advocacy, community engagement, and policy consultation, working to ensure that people with lived experience are leading decision-making and design. Her creative practice — through writing, visual storytelling, and participatory design — explores how rights-based, non-medical understandings of mental distress can reshape care, connection, and community.

Her recent visual series with CHRUSP translates these principles into accessible, rights-focused imagery — bold, plain-language pieces that invite reflection, dialogue, and change.

At the heart of her work is a simple truth: the opposite of coercion is connection.

Credit to our tech guru

Mitko describes the photo: A man in wheelchair holding a poster.

Mitko Nikolov developed the design for the site in response to CHRUSP’s needs, and worked closely with Tina to revise and refine and find the functionalities we needed for this unique site.

Mitko Nikolov is a long-time advocate for the human rights of people with disabilities in Bulgaria and advocates for the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to be implemented everywhere. He has participated in many campaigns to protect rights across Europe and is one of the most outspoken advocates of the independent living movement in his country.

Technology is his hobby, and for 30 years he has been developing websites and helping people and companies present themselves on the Internet. He loves discovering new opportunities and learning new techniques, so he is constantly upgrading his skills.

His latest passion is the smart home and the opportunity for people with disabilities to benefit from new technologies to improve the accessibility of the space around them. He himself needs a personal assistant due to his physical disability and is turning his house into a smart home.