Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The healthcare needs and general experience of women in detention in sub-Saharan Africa are rarely studied and poorly understood. A mixed-methods study was conducted including in-depth interviews with 38 adult female prisoners and 21 prison officers in four Zambian prisons to assess the health and human rights concerns of female detainees.
Key informant interviews with 46 officials from government and non-governmental organizations and a legal and policy review were also conducted. Despite special protection under international and regional law, incarcerated women's health needs—including prenatal care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, and nutritional support during pregnancy and breastfeeding—are not being adequately met in Zambian prisons. Women are underserved by general healthcare programs including those offering tuberculosis and HIV testing, and reported physical and sexual abuse conducted by police and prison officers that could amount to torture under international law.
There is an urgent need for women's healthcare services to be expanded, and for general prison health campaigns, including HIV and tuberculosis testing and treatment, to ensure the inclusion of female inmates. Abuses against women in Zambian police and prison custody, which violate their rights and compromise their health, must be halted immediately.
In African countries, female prisoners comprise between one percent in Burkina Faso and 6. Like their male counterparts, women in African prisons frequently face overcrowded and unsanitary conditions conducive to poor health and the spread of infectious disease [ 1 ].
Yet women are also confronted with unique challenges—related to menstruation; pregnancy and childbirth; care for children both inside and outside of prison; and violence and abuse including sexual abuse by prison officers or male prisoners with whom they are sometimes held [ 1 ]. Women prisoners often have experienced violence and sexual abuse prior to incarceration, and may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders while detained [ 2 ].
