Opposition Leader Honourable Julian Fraser is of the opinion that the system within the territory has failed the mentally ill.
His comment came during a recent sitting of the House of Assembly, where he called on the relevant government ministries to get their act together.
Fraser referenced several recent acts which occurred in the territory that involved mentally ill persons.
He said that due to these persons not getting the necessary assistance, there are moments when episodes do occur that result in criminal mischief.
Fraser said these individuals are then made to suffer consequences similar to that of a citizen of sound mind.
“Mental illness is something that you have difficulties understanding unless it is something that affects you. People are sedated and you don’t even know that they are ill mentally, you just see them in another world, kind of,” Fraser stated.
He added, “It doesn’t dawn on you that these people are ill. You just think that they are…we call them vagrants, but it’s an illness and that’s a reflection of societal abandonment. They’ve been abandoned by society.”
The law is acting as an obstacle
The senior legislator also pointed to a previous instance where he tried to assist a mentally ill person that was recently involved in a very serious criminal incident.
He said that despite his attempts to provide assistance to the mentally ill individual, the law of the territory prevented him and the individual’s parents from getting the needed treatment.
“I’ve been involved in trying to get that same individual out of Tortola for assistance…a few years ago. I came this close to being successful but listen to this, the individual decided that they don’t want to leave, they don’t want to go, despite their parents’ insistence that they go. But what did the system say? They say if the individual decides not to go then there is nothing they can do,” Fraser explained.
Legislation needs updating
Fraser also called on the relevant ministries to go through the respective legislations that are relevant to their ministry and have the outdated ones brought forward for amendments.
“It’s not the Attorney General’s responsibility to go through the different ministries looking for the legislations and start trying to update them. I think the ministries who have responsibility for the laws governing their ministry should make an attempt to get their legislations revised and bring that to the attention of the Attorney General,” he stated.
Until such is done, Fraser believes that the system should be held liable for the actions of the mentally ill.