Care Not Custody
🎙️ Our official launch event is coming up on Tuesday 19th May.
🇨🇭 Will you be in Geneva for the World Health Assembly? Register to attend the launch here.
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8.4 million people are admitted to psychiatric institutions every year. It’s time to bring them home.
Across the globe, outdated laws and systems are failing us. Instead of community support, millions are met with coercion. Instead of recovery, they are met with walls.
Care Not Custody is a global movement to turn the tide. We are calling on governments to move away from harmful institutionalisation and invest in rights-based, community-centred mental health care.
Why ‘Care Not Custody’ matters
Mental health is a fundamental human right, yet the global reality remains stark. To protect our rights, we must address the systemic failure of institutionalisation.
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The Legislation Gap: 73% of countries have yet to align their mental health laws with international human rights standards.
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The Custody Crisis: Over 8.4 million people are admitted to mental health hospitals every year – many in facilities that rely on outdated, coercive practices.
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The Financing Gap: In many low- and middle-income countries, more than 80% of mental health budgets are still directed towards large psychiatric hospitals rather than community-based services.
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The Human Cost: People with severe mental health conditions die 10 to 20 years earlier than the general population, often due to the neglect of their physical health in healthcare settings.
Choose: Care.
We are campaigning for a world where every government chooses Care. When we prioritise a rights-based approach, we choose:
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Community over isolation.
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Autonomy over coercion.
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Dignity over stigma.
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Recovery over restraint.
By investing in local, quality, person-centred support, we don’t just improve mental health, we restore humanity.
'Care Not Custody' pre-made graphics
Stand with us in rewriting the future of mental health care.
1: Right click an image below to save a full-quality version.
2: Post it on social, along with why ‘Care Not Custody’ matters to you.
See entire range of pre-made graphics available for download here.
Use the Toolkit to make your own ‘Care Not Custody’ assets
Access campaign guidelines, design files, and editable assets – from social media captions, graphics to animations – and help launch this call for change on your digital channels, in your own way.
Care Not Custody: videos
Lived experience is the heartbeat of this campaign.
Hear from some of the advocates leading the charge.
"I experienced things nobody should"
Tiwa, UK and Nigeria
Tiwa tells us about her experiences of institutionalisation, and why rights-based care is so important.
"I've witnessed what custody represents as a caregiver for my brother"
Lucero, Peru
Lucero tells us about her family’s experience of caregiving for her brother, who was institutionalised.
"I know what it feels like when your rights are restricted in the name of care"
Matt, Australia
Matt tells us about why they advocate for a rights-based approach to mental health care.
"I have been institutionalised three times – all those circumstances were against my will"
Hassan, Ghana
Hassan tells us about the power community-based care can have on recovery.
An Audacious, But Achievable Influencing Goal
Let’s raise the noise and build momentum to make Care Not Custody the theme for World Mental Health Day 2027.
Take More Action
Advocate for Deinstitutionalisation
Lasting change can only be led by experts by experience. The Global Mental Health Action Network has convened a world-first advocacy group. Join the people dedicated to transforming institutions into community-based support systems.
Stay informed
Download our 2025 report, “Out of Sight, Out of Mind” to understand the systemic costs of neglect and why we must bring mental health care into the light.
Do you have a story about why Care Not Custody matters to you? Email Ali, UnitedGMH’s Deinstitutionalisation lead, on ali@unitedgmh.org