Heading to Indonesia free of shackles

Mon, January 22, 2018 / 09:34 am

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A mentally ill patient rests his feet through the bars of his isolation room in the Galuh Foundation rehabilitation center in Bekasi, West Java. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Patients stroll in the yard of the foundation every afternoon. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A mentally ill patient dances after a nurse plays music. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Graffiti is seen on a wall at the rehabilitation center. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A patient shows his colleagues how to get rid of hallucinations by covering his ears. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A patient shows his colleagues how to get rid of hallucinations by covering his ears. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Some patients join in a mass prayer. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Patients participate in a quiz. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Patients eat lunch in the cafeteria. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A nurse helps a patient put on his pants while another lies on the floor. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A patient helps wash dishes in the kitchen. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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Some patients lie on the floor at a ward. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak
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A patient daydreams. Antara/Hafidz Mubarak

Antara/ Hafidz Mubarak

The Galuh Foundation in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta serves as a rehabilitation center for those with mental illness. The center accommodates 355 mentally disabled people.

Nurses who take care of them help them to meditate and pray.

“We have to be very patient while taking care of them. We accompany them in doing activities to keep them busy and focused,” said Jajat Sudrajat, head nurse of the foundation.

Years ago, mentally ill people were shackled — including those in the Galuh Foundation. However, the old method is not used anymore. Instead of using shackles, the mentally ill are isolated in designated rooms.

The Human Rights Watch said in its release that around 57,000 mentally ill people in Indonesia were shackled. Until today, some 18,800 people are still shackled despite the government’s 1977 ban on the practice.

Indonesia launched a campaign called Indonesia Bebas Pasung (Indonesia Free from Shackles) in 2017. The government hopes that no families and rehabilitation centers use shackles to deal with mentally ill people as it violates human rights and only worsens their condition.[yan]