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News Iraq: workshop on services in Iraqi correctional facilities 22-10-2009 News release 6-3-2009 News release Section Health in prison When ICRC delegates visit prisoners, they are always accompanied by medical staff, who assess inmates' health and look into all consequences of ill-treatment, whether physical or psychological. Access to documents describing conditions for such visits and the issue of torture.
©ICRC/B. Hoffman/il-e-00106
Azerbaijan: Tuberculosis unit for detainees in Baku
ICRC medical staff always accompany delegates on their visits to places of detention, in order to assess the inmates' health and look into all consequences of ill-treatment, whether physical or psychological.
The doctors and nurses who participate in these visits are well versed in the specific problems of prison health, such as hygiene, epidemiology, nutritional needs and vitamin deficiencies. Their role is to try to identify, assess and prioritize any public health problems which exist in the prisons they visit.  Key document23-3-2009 Kyrgyzstan: managing tuberculosisTuberculosis is a major killer in Kyrgyzstan, particularly in prisons, where rates of infection are around 40 times higher than in the general population. Gulmira Kalmambetova of the ICRC explains how the organization is helping curb the spread of the disease. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Kyrgyzstan) Interview Includes Photo 28-11-2008 HIV/AIDS in prisons: facing the challengesThe first of December marks World AIDS Day. In recognition of this important date, Raed Aburabi, ICRC's coordinator for health in detention, describes the organization's work to fight HIV/AIDS in prisons. He highlights the seriousness of the problem and the challenges of providing treatment for prisoners with the disease. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health\Health in prison) Feature Includes Photo 20-3-2008 Kyrgyzstan: fighting drug-resistant TB in the prisonsPrisons in Kyrgyzstan have long been a breeding ground for tuberculosis, including drug-resistant strains that are extremely difficult to treat. The ICRC is helping the authorities to tackle this deadly infectious illness in prisons. Jan Powell reports from the Kyrgyzstan capital, Bishkek. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Kyrgyzstan) Feature Includes Photo Torture31-3-2002 Visits to prisoners and documentation of tortureExtract from "The medical documentation of torture", edited by Micheal Peel, chapter 5, pp.77-100, Geenwich Medical Media, London, 2002. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health\Health in prison) Event18-5-2006 Doctors working in prison: human rights and ethical dilemmasOnline course. Many of those held in prisons around the world do not receive adequate medical care. To improve their access to quality health services, the ICRC has participated in a World Medical Association project to produce an internet-based course for doctors working in prisons. (Info resources\Events) Event FAQ15-2-2005 What is the definition of torture and ill treatment? International humanitarian law prohibits torture and other forms of ill treatment at all times and demands that detainees be treated according to the rules and principles of IHL and other international standards. (Info resources\Frequently asked questions) FAQ 15-2-2005 What is the ICRC's position on torture and ill treatment?The ICRC rejects the use of torture and other forms of ill treatment under any circumstances. It believes the respect for human life and dignity precludes any justification for ill treatment. (Info resources\Frequently asked questions) FAQ Feature6-4-2009 Peru: overcrowding fuels tuberculosis infection in prisonsTuberculosis is a disease which is transmitted from person to person. For this reason, it spreads easily in prisons marked by overcrowded conditions. In Peru, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) took part in training health promoters to detect possible cases of infection in order to obtain immediate treatment for them. (The ICRC worldwide\The Americas\Peru) Feature Includes Photo 27-2-2009 Health in prison: looking after women in a man’s worldPrison is basically a man’s world. The prison medical system is basically designed for men. So the ICRC is paying particular attention to the situation of women in prison. Female prisoners constitute a vulnerable group, and their specific health needs are often neglected. (Focus\Women and war) Feature Includes Photo 8-7-2008 Kyrgyzstan: behind bars with tuberculosis In Kyrgyzstan tuberculosis remains a serious threat to public health, and prisons are a primary breeding ground for the disease. Andrea Isenegger of Médecins Sans Frontières reports on how that organization and the ICRC are supporting government efforts to control tuberculosis in prisons. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Kyrgyzstan) Feature Includes Photo 1-4-2008 A journalist in Kyrgyzstan's prisons: re-learning how to "hurry up and wait" Imogen Foulkes is the BBC correspondent in Geneva. She recently travelled to Kyrgyzstan to report on the ICRC's support for efforts to fight multi-drug-resistant TB in prisons. Before flying home she contributed this report to icrc.org. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Kyrgyzstan) Feature Includes Photo 17-3-2008 World Water Day: overcrowding in prisons poses global water and sanitation challengesThe rising number of detainees and prisoners in many conflict-affected countries is putting a major strain on the coping capacity of detention centres to meet inmates' water, sanitation and overall public health needs. In many societies, prisons are forgotten or neglected, causing them to become breeding grounds for disease due to a lack of clean water, limited access to latrines, inadequate waste management, poor hygiene and overcrowded living quarters. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Water and habitat) Feature Includes Photo 12-4-2007 Azerbaijan: TB mortality rate in prisons is decreasing With the support of the ICRC, the TB mortality rate in Azerbaijani prisons has decreased 10-12 fold since 2000. Just a few years ago, a 38 year-old detainee could never have imagined that he would not only survive TB, but be fully cured. (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Azerbaijan) Feature Includes Photo 23-3-2006 Azerbaijan: improving access to treatment for tuberculosis in prisonsWhen Natiq Agiyev was sixteen years old he watched his older brother Shahin fade away over the course of a year. He remembers that doctors did not want to look after his brother because his family could not find money for the treatment of Shahin's tuberculosis (TB). (The ICRC worldwide\Eastern Europe and Central Asia\Azerbaijan) Feature ICRC film20-3-2009 Kyrgyzstan: TB behind barsIn parts of Central Asia, rates of tuberculosis have reached record levels. Rates are particularly high in prisons where the disease spreads easily. Worse still, new strains are emerging which do not respond to normal treatment. In some cases, a spell in prison could mean a death sentence. But in Kyrgyzstan, a new treatment programme is giving hope to prisoners infected with the deadly, drug-resistant forms of TB. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Films\From the field) ICRC film Includes Video ICRC Publication23-9-2005 Water, sanitation, hygiene and habitat in prisonsThe handbook provides a summary of the technical expertise gained by ICRC engineers when dealing with environmental engineering problems commonly found in places of detention. Detailed drawings are used to outline solutions on a range of related issues such as water supply, sewage and waste disposal, food preparation, vector control, general hygiene and health. This handbook is intended for all those who work in prisons and who can contribute to the improvement of the conditions of detention for persons deprived of their freedom. (Info resources\ICRC publications and films\Publications\Assistance) ICRC Publication Includes PDF International Review of the Red Cross4-2-2008 International Review of the Red Cross, 2007 - No. 867 Special issue: Torture. This issue of the International Review deals with historical, legal, social, psychological and political questions relating to torture. It includes a discussion on the legal interpretations of the notion of torture, cruel or inhuman treatment and psychological torture, and analyses the context in which torture occurs and has occurred in the past. (Humanitarian law\IHL in brief\IHL and human rights) International Review of the Red Cross Interview22-3-2007 The tuberculosis epidemic breaks through prison wallsTuberculosis is a disease associated with poverty. Prisons, where the number of people suffering from tuberculosis is particularly high, have very limited means available to fight the disease. Interview with Dr. Francisco Duda, coordinator of the ICRC’s work on disease control in prisons. (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health\Health in prison) Interview Includes Photo Job opportunityJob opportunity Includes Photo Press article31-3-2006 Mental Health in prisonsPeople with mental illnesses are especially vulnerable during war and its immediate aftermath. Red Cross Red Crescent explores this little-known theme through the experiences of Jean Rey-Bellet, who has been on several missions for the ICRC, notably in Yemen and Bosnia and Herzegovina - Article published in the Red Cross Red Crescent Magazine, No 1, 2006 (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health\Health in prison) Press article More in this section22-3-2007 Pitfalls of TB management in prisons, revisitedThe pitfalls of TB management in prisons were previously already identified as many. Today, with the spread of MDR-TB, and even worse forms of resistance already on the horizon, it is all the more essential that prison health staff know about these pitfalls, so as to ensure adequate treatment of the disease and prevent development of drug-resistance (ICRC Activities\Assistance\Health\Health in prison) 30-9-2006 Body searches in place of detentionBody searches should be used only after all other means of investigation have been
employed. Doctors have no role to play in strip searches. In exceptional cases, when
requested by the authorities or the prisoner for a valid reason, their participation in
body-cavity searches may be justified. In such cases, the doctor’s role will be that of
medical expert, which should not compromise his role as care provider. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Detention) Includes PDF 24-6-2005 Torture: the need to move forwardThe 1984 UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment entered into force on 26 June 1987. But even though torture is strictly prohibited, it remains common in many countries. By the head of the Protection Division at the ICRC. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Detention)  |
