National organization with 100 members (including the Board), the majority of them are (ex-)users and survivors of psychiatry. The organization was established on 25 July 2018.
Diritti alla Follia is recognized as one of Italy’s leading critical and proactive organizations on issues of psychiatric coercion, self-determination, and the rights of people considered “vulnerable.”
The organization contributes to public, cultural, and institutional debate with an independent, radical voice based on direct experience.
One of the distinctive features of Diritti alla Follia is its explicit and structured position on the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities, in full compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified by Italy with Law 18/2009.
The organization’s action is based on three inseparable axes:
- the assertion of the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities;
- the promotion of knowledge and application of the UN Convention by institutions, operators, and citizens;
- the reporting of human rights violations resulting from health, social, and legal practices that are still widespread today.
In this context, the commitment to overcoming institutionalization is not a sectoral choice, but a direct and necessary consequence of the human rights paradigm.
The institutionalization of persons with disabilities—in residential or semi-residential facilities—is in fact a discriminatory and violent practice, incompatible with several articles of the UN Convention, including in particular:
- Article 19—Living independently and being included in the community
- Article 14—Liberty and security of the person
Objectives and aims
The Association aims to:
- promote the reform of the procedure currently provided for by law 1978/833 for “compulsory medical treatment”, introducing forms of protection and guarantee for the benefit of those subjected to it;
- to promote the full rights of those undergoing “compulsory medical treatment”;
- promote and affirm the need for reform the security measures for non-attributable subjects;
- undertake to safeguard the spaces of self-determination and choice of the person in the “support administration” procedures
- promote and affirm the need for a change in the regulatory framework of the institutions of interdiction and incapacitation
To achieve the statutory objectives the Association:
- promotes and carries out conferences, publications, events, information campaigns , study and research initiatives aimed at achieving individual objectives; in particular, through campaigns for the approval or modification of national and transnational legislation on law, justice and freedom;
- elaborates and proposes norms for the protection of citizens’ rights and, to this end, establishes relations with public and private institutions;
- undertakes any other useful initiative at an international, national, regional and territorial level for the achievement of the statutory purposes;
The Association may stipulate collaboration and/or membership agreements with other organizations or bodies, public or private, Italian or foreign, for the achievement of the objectives indicated by the statute and by the assembly motion.
The organisation works independently and radically to promote the rights of psychiatric users or ex users, with particular attention to:
- combating psychiatric coercion (compulsory treatment, restraint, hospitalization, forced treatment)
- criticism and reform of legal institutions of guardianship, curatorship, and supportive administration
- defending informed consent and self-determination as non-negotiable principles
- denouncing human rights violations in health and social-health services
- developing alternative and protective legislative and regulatory proposals
- spreading a culture of rights based also on the direct involvement of users and former users
The association highlights how so-called “mental distress” is frequently exploited to legitimize practices of control and restriction of personal freedoms, in contrast with the Italian Constitution and international conventions on human rights
Activities
Campaigns and advocacy
Diritti alla Follia promotes national awareness campaigns and political lobbying.
It also publishes the column “Il Diritto Fragile” (The Fragile Right), dedicated to the critical analysis of laws, judicial practices, and concrete cases of rights violations.
The organisation produces informational materials, rights guides, legal and social analysis dossiers, and participates in collective appeals with other third sector organizations.
An example of the Campaign on the so called “support administration”
The organization provides information on issues related to coercion in the psychiatric field, in particular on the rights of people subjected to coercion.
Research, reporting, and protection of rights:
- collection and analysis of reports of abuse and violations of rights in the psychiatric and judicial fields;
- drafting of reports and documentation;
- dialogue with national guarantee bodies and international organizations;
- follow-up and monitoring of the outcomes of reports.
Events, training, and dissemination:
The association organizes and promotes:
- annual national conferences;
- conferences, webinars, and round tables;
- public events and initiatives;
- legal and cultural training sessions.
The goal is to promote healthcare and social practices based on consent, freedom, and shared responsibility
The association carries out ongoing, structured, and multidimensional activities that integrate public communication, advocacy, rights monitoring, and planning.
Sources of funding
The resources of the Association consist of subscriptions and donations
Address: Registered office Via Bargoni 32 00153 Rome
Tel: 3462378960
E-mail: dirittiallafollia@gmail.com
Website: www.dirittiallafollia.it
Name and position of the person representing the organisation: Michele Capano, legal representative, treasurer