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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.

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Need this information in easier words?

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

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.

NDIS participants: Unable to return home

  • Immediate violations: Right to adequate housing (CRPD art. 28), right to live independently (art. 19), denial of reasonable accommodations.
  • Contact urgently: SR on Adequate Housing + SR on Disability + SR on Torture (if in institutional settings without consent).
  • Key points: NDIS funding cuts forcing institutionalization, lack of accessible housing options, denial of community living rights.

NDIS crisis template

Emergency NDIS housing violation report Subject: Urgent: NDIS participant facing homelessness due to funding cuts - violation of CRPD rights (Australia) To: sr-housing@ohchr.org; (plus OHCHR channels for SR-Disability & SR-Torture if institutionalized) Dear Special Rapporteur, I am reporting an urgent violation of my rights under the CRPD as an NDIS participant in Australia. • Situation: Due to recent NIDS funding cuts/changes, I have lost my disability accommodation support and am unable to return home or access alternative accessible housing. • Timeline: [Date] - NIDS funding reduced/cut; [Date] - lost accommodation; [Date] - currently homeless/ininstitutionalized. • Violations: – Right to adequate housing (CRPD art. 28) - no disability-accessible housing available. – Right to live independently (art. 19) - forced into institutional setting. – Denial of reasonable accommodations - lack of appropriate support. – [If institutionalized] Arbitrary detention/WGAD + Torture/CIDT mandates. • Impact: [Describe mental/physical health impact, loss of independence, separation from community/supports]. • Evidence: [NDIS plan changes, accommodation rejection notices, medical reports]. • Urgent relief needed: – Immediate communication with Australian government about my situation. – Request for emergency appropriate housing solution. – Review of NDIS decision under CRPD standards. – Protection while homeless/inappropriate settings. Please treat this as time-sensitive and confidential. Sincerely, [Name or "Name withheld"] [State/Territory] [Safe contact details]

Additional contacts for NDIS crisis: NDIS Commission + Australian Human Rights Commission (disability discrimination).

🚨 Emergency helplines

  • Lifeline: 13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support)
  • Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511
  • NDIS Hotline: 1800 800 110
  • Disability Rights Australia: 1800 555 677
  • National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO): (02) 6246 9500

Legal & advocacy support

  • National Legal Aid: 1300 069 794
  • Community Legal Centres Australia: (02) 9299 9111
  • Disability Discrimination Legal Service: 1800 665 950
  • First Peoples Disability Network Australia: (02) 6255 5911
  • Migrant Resource Centres: 1300 679 673

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
  • NDIS crisis specific: NDIS plan changes, accommodation rejection letters, homelessness support service records.

After you send

  • Save copies and dates sent
  • Tell a trusted person (safety check)
  • Expect delays; keep parallel advocacy where safe
  • NDIS crisis: Also contact state/territory housing advocacy services while waiting for UN response.

Information, not legal advice.

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UN Reporting Directory – Easy Read

What is this page?

This page helps people in Australia report human rights violations to the United Nations (UN).

This page is for people who:

You do not need a lawyer to use this page.

What can the UN do?

The UN cannot fix things straight away.

But the UN can:

This can help protect you and others.

Is it safe to report?

Your safety matters.

Before reporting:

Who should I report to?

Disability Rights

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Use this if:

Forced Treatment or Harm

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

Detention or Confinement

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

Health Care Harm

UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health

You can contact more than one UN expert if more than one thing happened.

Email contacts

What should I say?

Your message should include:

You can say:

If someone helps you report

A friend, advocate, or ally can report for you if it is safer.

This is allowed.

NDIS housing emergency

If NDIS decisions have left you homeless or unable to return home, this is a human rights emergency.

What evidence can I include?

Only include what is safe.

If you are in crisis now

This page gives information, not legal advice.

You are allowed to speak.
You are allowed to report harm.
You are not the problem.

📖 EASY READ

UN Reporting Directory – Easy Read

This is the same information in easier words.

What is this page?

This page helps people in Australia report human rights violations to the United Nations (UN).

This page is for people who:

  • Are disabled or neurodivergent
  • Use the NDIS
  • Are under guardianship or administration
  • Have been forced into treatment or institutions
  • Have been ignored, silenced, or harmed by systems

You do not nee lawyer to use this page.

What can the UN do?

The UN cannot fix things straight away.

But the UN can:

  • Contact the Australian Government
  • Ask questions about what happened to you
  • Record your case internationally
  • Put pressure on systems that cause harm

This can help protect you and others.

Is it safe to report?

Your safety matters.

Before reporting:

  • Use a private email not controlled by a service or guardian
  • Do not use a shared or monitored device
  • Ask for your identity to be kept confidential
  • Ask a trusted person to report for you if needed

Who should I report to?

Disability Rights

UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Use this if:

  • You are under guardianship
  • Your legal capacity was removed
  • You were denied supported decision-making

Forced Treatment or Harm

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture

  • Restraint or seclusion
  • Forced treatment
  • Degrading or unsafe conditions

Detention or Confinement

UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

  • You were locked in
  • You could not leave
  • No fair legal process

You can contact more than one UN expert if more than one thing happened.

Email contacts

What should I say?

Your message should include:

  • What happened
  • When it happened
  • Who was involved
  • How it affected you
  • What help you are asking for

You can say:

  • "Please keep my name confidential"
  • "I am afraid of retaliation"

NDIS housing emergency

If NDIS decisions have left you homeless or unable to return home, this is a human rights emergency.

If you are in crisis now

  • Lifeline: 13 11 14
  • Mental Health Line: 1800 011 511
  • NDIS Hotline: 1800 800 110

This page gives information, not legal advice.

You are allowed to speak.
You are allowed to report harm.
You are not the problem.

Need help understanding this information?

Get Help Understanding Get Help Understanding

Call us and we will explain it to you: 1800 555 677