Strategic Self-Advocacy™

Report Safely: UN & Independent Channels

A practical, survivor-led guide for when Australian systems silence you. Who to contact, how to stay safe, and copy-paste templates you can send today.

Quick help (TL;DR)

Start here: Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities — guardianship, legal capacity, supported decision-making.
Forced treatment / degrading conditions: add SR on Torture and Right to Health.
Confinement / restrictions: add the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
Safety: if monitored, ask a trusted ally to submit on your behalf.

Tip: You can copy multiple mandates on the same email when several rights are affected.

Before you send

Use a private email not controlled by a guardian/service.
Remove metadata; password-protect attachments, share the password separately.
Ask for confidential handling of your identity.

Who to contact

PrimarySR: Rights of Persons with Disabilities — legal capacity, guardianship.
HealthSR: Right to Health — consent, adjustments, coerced treatment.
Ill-treatmentSR: Torture / CIDT — restraints, degrading treatment.
LibertyWG on Arbitrary Detention — confinement without due process.

Contact multiple mandates if it reflects your situation.

Contact details

SR: Torture — sr-torture@ohchr.org · Urgent: urgent-action@ohchr.org
WG on Arbitrary Detention — wgad@ohchr.org
SR: Disability — via OHCHR Special Procedures form/channel
SR: Right to Health — via OHCHR Special Procedures form/channel

Copy-paste email templates

Model email

Subject: Urgent: Violations under mental health guardianship – request for intervention (Australia)

To: sr-torture@ohchr.org; wgad@ohchr.org; (plus OHCHR channels for SR-Disability & SR-Health)

Dear Special Rapporteur / Working Group,

I am reporting serious human rights violations occurring under a mental health guardianship order in Australia.

• Background: I am a person with a psychosocial disability. In [year], I was placed under a guardianship order that removed my legal capacity. The order continues despite my objections and without meaningful review.

• Violations:
  – Denial of legal capacity / no supported decision-making – CRPD art. 12.
  – Forced/coercive treatment without free and informed consent – CRPD arts. 12, 17; Right to Health.
  – Degrading conditions and restrictions – Torture/CIDT mandate.
  – Arbitrary deprivation of liberty / institutional confinement – WGAD.

• Evidence attached: [orders, notes, incident reports, correspondence]

• Relief sought:
  – Urgent communication to Australia about my case.
  – Recommendation to replace guardianship with supported decision-making consistent with the CRPD.
  – Protection from retaliation; independent advocacy; restoration of legal capacity.

Please treat this submission as confidential.

Sincerely,
[Full name or “Name withheld for safety”]
[Country]
[Safe contact: independent email/ally contact]

Ally / third-party submission note


I am submitting this report on behalf of [Name], with their consent. Direct submission would expose them to retaliation because the guardian/service controls communications. I can facilitate confidential follow-up.

What to attach (if safe)

Guardianship/administration orders and reviews
Clinical correspondence (consent, restraints, seclusion)
Incident reports; dated timeline
Evidence of refusals of adjustments / supported decision-making

Attach only what is safe. Password-protect files; share the password separately.

After you send

Save copies and dates sent
Tell a trusted person (safety check)
Expect delays; keep parallel advocacy where safe

Information, not legal advice.