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Inter-American Commission on Human Rights orders Guatemala to protect children and adults from abuses in psychiatric facility

Washington, DC - November 28, 2012 - The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights of the Organization of American States (OAS) announced its ruling on an emergency "precautionary measures petition" filed by Disability Rights International (DRI) and the Office of Human Rights of the Archdiocese of Guatemala City (ODHAG) on behalf of more than 300 children and adults at Federico Mora Hospital, Guatemala City's psychiatric facility, a dilapidated collection of buildings adjacent to a large penitentiary facility at the edge of the city.
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Guatemala: Precautionary Measures Petition to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Based on our observations from visiting the Federico Mora Hospital and from collecting dozens of testimonies from current and former staff, patients, and other sources in Guatemala, we have come to the conclusion that the Federico Mora Hospital is the most dangerous facility our investigators have witnessed anywhere in the Americas.
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DRI's groundbreaking legal win against violence, trafficking and segregation

Watch as Priscila Rodríguez, Director, DRI Women’s Health and Justice Initiative, describes DRI's groundbreaking legal victory against Guatemala in the case of Federico Mora Patients v. Guatemala and the legal precedent this can set to protect people with disabilities throughout the Americas. 

For captions in Spanish: watch here.

Inside 'world's most dangerous' hospital in Guatemala

An undercover BBC investigation into conditions at a mental health institution in Guatemala has revealed patient suffering and abuse at the hands of those meant to care for them. Federico Mora Hospital has been described by campaigners as the world's most abusive and dangerous mental health institution. In 2012, Guatemala was ordered by an American Human Rights Commission to make emergency improvements to the Federico Mora Hospital to "save lives". The government promised to comply. But an undercover BBC investigation found little has changed.

(Spanish Captions) DRI's groundbreaking legal win against violence, trafficking and segregation

Watch as Priscila Rodríguez, Director, DRI Women’s Health and Justice Initiative, describes DRI's groundbreaking legal victory against Guatemala in the case of Federico Mora Patients v. Guatemala and the legal precedent this can set to protect people with disabilities throughout the Americas. 

For captions in English: watch here.

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