Women Prisoners Face Unique COVID-19 Challenges Worldwide
Women prisoners worldwide face unique challenges, often overlooked in mainstream narratives. COVID-19 restrictions have exacerbated these issues, with isolation and neglect being common. This article explores these challenges and highlights specific cases.
Women make up a small but growing percentage of the global prison population. They often receive fewer visits than men, leading to increased isolation. This issue has been exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions. For instance, in the U.S., women in immigration detention centers have reported medical neglect and enforced hysterectomies.
In many contexts, lack of visitation rights can mean lack of basic necessities like food, medicine, and menstrual products. This is particularly concerning in overcrowded prisons, where the risk of COVID-19 contagion is high. Prisons in Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. are among the most packed.
Women prisoners are also at a higher risk of sexual abuse and insults of a sexual nature. Reports of alleged suicides due to institutional gender violence have surfaced. Despite this, women are often overlooked in data disaggregated by gender and in news reports about COVID-19 in prisons.
Decongestion efforts have been inconsistent. While some countries like Nigeria and those in the Middle East and Northern Africa have made efforts, political prisoners are often left behind bars. In Brazil, thousands of mothers and pregnant women remain imprisoned instead of serving under house arrest, despite a Supreme Court measure adopted in 2018.
The Indonesian government has not taken specific actions to support female prisoners, but there are media reports and academic insights addressing related themes, such as sociological perspectives on young Islamist prisoners in Indonesia.
The unique challenges faced by women prisoners worldwide demand attention and action. From isolation and neglect to sexual abuse and overcrowding, these issues highlight the need for targeted policies and better data disaggregation by gender. Governments must ensure that decongestion efforts include all prisoners and that basic necessities are provided. Further, the risk of sexual abuse and institutional gender violence must be addressed urgently.
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