mental-health

From the University of Essex to the United Nations: Evidence about social security, healthcare, and protection and assistance to the family in the UK

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By Dr Koldo Casla

Dr Koldo Casla, project lead of Human Rights Local, has submitted evidence to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights for their inquiry into the state of socio-economic rights in the UK. Socio-economic rights include, among others, the right to housing, food, education, social security, health, access to work and good working conditions, all of which are recognised in the 1966 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).

Launched in 2020, Human Rights Local is a project of Essex Human Rights Centre to make human rights locally relevant in the UK.

Every few years, the 170+ states that have ratified ICESCR ought to report to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on the policies they are implementing to respect, protect and fulfil socio-economic rights. For the UK, the last review was completed in 2016. The current one began in 2022 and will end with a UN report, known as ‘concluding observations’, that will probably be published around mid-2025. This report will be based on information provided by the UK government and devolved administrations, as well as evidence from three National Human Rights Institutions (the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission), and evidence from NGOs and academics. On 13-14 February, the UN Committee will meet with civil society groups and NHRIs in Geneva, and it will also hold a ‘constructive dialogue’ with UK government representatives.

As part of Human Rights Local, Dr Koldo Casla has provided support to community groups and people with lived experience of poverty so they could provide their own evidence to the UN and their recommendations to bring about the necessary changes to improve their lives. This is part of GRIPP (Growing Rights Instead of Poverty Partnership), of which Essex Human Rights Centre is a founding member.

In addition, Dr Casla has also conducted research for Amnesty International about the extent to which the UK’s social security system (Article 9 ICESCR) meets international standards in relation to the right to social security. The study will be published later this year, but beforehand Amnesty International will rely on the evidence and the recommendations in their advocacy with the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Dr Casla has also co-authored two submissions for the UN Committee. One of them identifies a series of concerns about the level of enjoyment of the right to health (Article 12 ICESCR) among Gypsy, Roma and Travelling communities in the East of England. It is based on qualitative evidence in the form of testimonies gathered in 37 peer-to-peer interviews conducted by four partner organisations – COMPAS, GATE Essex, Oblique Arts, and One Voice 4 Travellers – between June and August 2023. The evidence was part of the project “Building a community of practice to identify strengths, barriers and prioritise solutions to the right of access to healthcare for Travelling Communities”, led by colleagues in the School of Health and Social Care, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, between February 2023 and August 2024. The qualitative evidence compiled in the document is the unreserved confirmation that the UN’s concerns persist in relation to stigma, prejudice, discrimination, lack of informational accessibility and lack of cultural acceptability of healthcare for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities. This is reflected in the lack of cultural awareness in availability of suitable health professionals, lack of non-English language provision, problems of trust due to lack of cultural competence, lack of understanding of issues around literacy, and ongoing social exclusion, particularly digital exclusion.

The second submission goes hand in hand with the anti-poverty human rights NGO ATD Fourth World. It examines the impact of child protection services on families in poverty. Creating a social security system that guarantees the essentials in life, regulating for-profit children’s homes, and extending peer-parent support are among a list of recommendations to preserve the right to protection and assistance to the family (Article 10 ICESCR) for households living in poverty. 

As argued by Dr Casla and Lyle Barker in a paper published in the Journal of Human Rights Practice in 2024, lived experience brings both epistemic and instrumental value to human rights research. In relation to the former value, in a peer-led process, people with lived experience of poverty do not simply provide evidence, data and information. Instead, they rank their concerns, frame their grievances in their own terms and decide about their priorities and the research methodology. This approach intends to address the epistemic injustice that silences people in poverty and dismisses their knowledge. In relation to the second value, the instrumental one, lived experience can help detect the real impact of the distinguishing features of specific human rights. For example, in relation to child protection services, a peer-led and participatory action research with families showed that one of the instrumental values of putting lived experience first is that it can reveal the true nature, prevalence and damage of povertyism – the negative stereotyping of people in poverty – on people in poverty.

For more information lease contact Dr Koldo Casla @ Koldo.casla@essex.ac.uk

Exploring the ‘Expressions of Trauma’ Exhibition at The Minories, Colchester

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By Dr Samantha Davey

Credit: Healthwatch Essex

The Minories, an art gallery based on the High Street in Colchester, hosted an evocative exhibition on ‘expressions of trauma’ run by Healthwatch Essex and led by Sharon Westfield de Cortez and Kate Mahoney. This exhibition delved deep into the complex layers of trauma, with a range of exhibits exploring themes such as pain, illness, abuse, grief and loss, with art being used as a medium to empower and shared the voices of those who chose to participate in the exhibition in October and November 2024.  

One of the exhibits is the result of innovative research collaboration between Dr Stella Bolaki from the University of Kent and Dr Samantha Davey from the University of Essex.  This research project was kindly funded and supported by both researchers’ institutions via awards designed for knowledge exchange, impact activities and public engagement.  

The works included in the ‘Expressions of Trauma’ exhibition from this project are artists’ books created during specialised workshops led by Dr Bolaki. These workshops provided a safe, creative space for mothers who have suffered the painful experience of child loss via adoption proceedings. Many participants shared their personal narratives, crafting their stories into tangible art forms that speak to their emotional journeys through care and/or adoption proceedings and in the aftermath of those legal processes. 

Credit: Chloe Sparrow

The artists’ books featured are a powerful reflection of each of these mothers’ experiences. Each page contains raw emotions and displays feelings of love, grief, sadness, anger, frustration and, ultimately, resilience. Through art, these mothers have found a way to express pain and connect with others facing similar struggles. This powerful element of storytelling through art is what made the ‘Expressions of Trauma’ exhibition not just an art display but a shared space for dialogue between mothers, professionals and the wider public – as well as a space for reflection, healing and social justice. One of the books included showed an image from the Disney film, Dumbo, the elephant who was separated from his mother. This image is accompanied by the haunting lyrics of ‘Baby Mine’, highlighting the raw grief and loss experienced because of the separation of mother and child. Diana Defries, spokesperson at Movement for an Adoption Apology, has a book titled ‘An Ocean Between Us’, poignantly representing the gulf between a mother and child over many years.  

This exhibit also highlights the importance of the roles played by professionals who support these mothers. Barrister Sneha Shrestha, local art therapist Chloe Sparrow, and Kent-based counsellor Amanda Swan contributed their insights and expertise, showing how the artist’s book can assist professionals as well, as a tool in processing trauma. Chloe Sparrow’s emotive painting of a mother and child features prominently in the exhibition, capturing the essence of the bond that endures even in loss. 

This exhibit demonstrates acutely that healing is not a solitary journey; it is often facilitated by the connections we make with others personally and professionally. The inclusion of professionals in this dialogue makes the narrative of the exhibit more powerful, adding layers of understanding and compassion, showing how professionals themselves connect with the raw grief experienced by mothers.  

Visitors are encouraged to engage with the stories behind the books. Each artist’s book is a book of emotion, inviting reflection and empathy from anyone who encounters it. The exhibition encouraged a sense of community and shared experience, helping attendees to understand and empathise with those who have experienced loss in a range of contexts – loss of love, loss of one’s autonomy and loss of identity. 

‘Expressions of Trauma’ was not just an artistic endeavour; it was a compelling invitation to explore the landscape of human emotion. Through this exhibition, Sharon Westfield de Cortez and Kate Mahoney created an important ongoing conversation around trauma, loss, and the healing power of art. 

Credit: Chloe Sparrow

In a world where discussions about mental health and trauma are becoming increasingly prominent, ‘Expressions of Trauma’ boldly speaks to the power of storytelling through art. The exhibition challenged visitors to confront difficult emotions and inspires them to engage with the narratives of others from different walks of life with a vast range of life experiences.  

For any questions about ‘Expressions of Trauma’, please contact Sharon at sharon.westfield-de-cortez@healthwatchessex.org.uk and Kate at kate.mahoney@healthwatchessex.org.uk . 

For individuals who have been affected by issues explored within the artist’s book exhibit or have any questions about the research project out of which it emerged, please contact Dr Stella Bolaki at s.bolaki@kent.ac.uk and Dr Samantha Davey at smdave@essex.ac.uk .