Network AID partner, Advocacy for Mental Health and Human Rights joined hands to celebrate World Mental Health Day 2023 with the theme “Mental Health is a Universal Human Right,”. This is to serve as a reminder to everyone on the planet to raise awareness, advance understanding, and encourage action that protect and advance everyone's right to mental health.

On this day, we are concerned about the mental health of our women and girls. Most women with mental health problems, especially in our society, often encounter human rights violations in meeting their basic needs. Negative gender norms/roles also have significant impacts on women and girls mental health and often face the highest levels of stigma and community discrimination. 

Some women with mental health problems also face discrimination in seeking employment and even when they work, they are socially and financially exploited as they are paid less salaries than their male counterparts. 

They also face barriers to family life as they are abandoned and neglected by their husbands, spources, or  and their families.  Their personal space and possessions are often not respected or are confiscated. This is prevalent among those associated with separation or divorce, as they are even more disadvantaged since they often have no one to advocate for them and therefore receive no financial support from their former husbands, Rural and illiterate women faces it more.

 As a nation, we need to take necessary steps to protect, promote, and fulfil the human rights of women with mental illness through the provision of care, community education about stigma and discrimination and strengthening the law to protect them.