Stop Confinement, Build Civility

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

A person with a mental disorder is held in a cell at the Penuh Warna Griya Cinta Kasih Foundation in Jombang regency, East Java, Thursday (3/10/2019). The foundation, chaired by Jamiin, runs a rehabilitation center for people with mental disorders. Currently, it has 265 residents.

People held in cages, their feet shackled. They reek of body odor because they do not bathe regularly. They develop a variety of diseases. They are exposed to further harm instead of receiving treatment.

This is not imaginary. It is real. It is not in the past and is happening today, perhaps even into the future. It is occurring not in a foreign land, but on our own soil. This is what people with schizophrenia in Indonesia are suffering.

Apart from the mental illness, people with schizophrenia are often subject to inhumane treatment. The strong stigma of “insanity” persists. The Kompas field investigation has uncovered this tragedy.

Confining people against their will is a human rights violation. However, the practice remains widespread in our society. It is estimated that 31.5 percent of the families of mental illness sufferers resort to confining them. The 2018 Basic Health Research shows that seven out of 1,000 households in Indonesia have family members with schizophrenia. This means that almost half a million Indonesians have schizophrenia. Other sources state that 18,800 people with schizophrenia are confined against their will (Kompas, 7/10/2019).

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Residents suffering from a mental disorder get snacks in a cell at the Penuh Warna Griya Cinta Kasih Foundation in Jombang regency, East Java, Thursday (3/10/2019). The foundation, chaired by Jamiin, runs a rehabilitation center for people with mental disorders. Currently, it has 265 residents.

The government ran a Chain-Free Indonesia campaign in 2014, but missed its target. The campaign resumed in 2019 – and again missed the target.

Special coverage on the issue was published in Kompas over three days starting from Monday to remind the public of this humanitarian issue. People with mental disorders might not have the right to vote in the elections, but this does not mean that their aspirations can be neglected.

Schizophrenia is a medical condition like any other illness. However, since the illness is caused by biological factors as well as psychological and social factors, medical treatment alone is not enough to treat the mental disease.

However, regular medication and support from families and other people is vital to restore their mental health.

People with schizophrenia who have attained a stable mental condition can lead active and productive lives. However, regular medication and support from families and other people is vital to restore their mental health.

The government must intensify its campaign against caging. Further, the government must encourage the public to care for people with schizophrenia. Access to mental health services must be expanded. Not many regional governments in Indonesia truly care about the issue; the regions that exhibit high attentiveness towards the issue must be appreciated. East Java’s Banyuwangi regency is one of the regions that have been “chain-free” since 2017.

KOMPAS/BAHANA PATRIA GUPTA

Jamiin examines patients suffering from mental disorders at the Penuh Warna Griya Cinta Kasih Foundation in Jombang regency, East Java, on Thursday (3/10/2019). The foundation, chaired by Jamiin, runs a rehabilitation center for people with mental disorders. Currently, it has 265 residents.

We must also be grateful to those private rehabilitation centers and individuals that have freely provided special care for mental illness sufferers. They have been filling the void, as the state is not fully present. They are treating not only schizophrenia sufferers but also the nation, developing its humanitarian spirit and civilization.