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Friday, Oct 26, 2012 5:30 AM UTC

China passes law to curb abuse of mental hospitals

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Topics: From the Wires,

BEIJING (AP) — China has approved a long-awaited mental health law that aims to prevent people from being involuntarily held and treated in psychiatric facilities, abuses that have triggered public outrage.

Passed by the legislature on Friday, the law standardizes mental health care services, requiring general hospitals to set up special outpatient clinics or provide counseling.

The government has come under public pressure to improve mental health services in response to scandals and rising demand for proper treatment from a society that has grown more prosperous.

In recent years, state media and rights activists have reported cases of people forced into mental hospitals when they did not require treatment. The system has at times been used by authorities to silence dissidents and ordinary people seeking redress to grievances from local governments.

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

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  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

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