News Iraq: ICRC workshop focuses on prisoner health 23-4-2008 News release 3-4-2008 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.
World TB Day, 24 March 2008
As part of global efforts to raise awareness of the deadly threat of TB, and the measures being taken to counter it, BBC correspondent Imogen Faulkes went to Kyrgyztan to see the ICRC's work in helping to tackle the problem in prisons. Her reports will be broadcast on BBC radio and TV around 24 March. The ICRC has made a footage on the subject, which is available to TV stations; its producer, Jan Powell, has written a feature for this website.
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 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 31-3-2002 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) 18-5-2006 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 15-2-2005 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 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 23-9-2005 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 4-2-2008 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 22-3-2007 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 24-6-2005 The psychological effects of torture are most serious…the worst scars are in the mind…Audio interview with the ICRC's medical coordinator for health in detention, Hernan Reyes. (Info resources\Audio) Interview Includes Audio Job opportunity Includes Photo 31-3-2006 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 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) Stories from the field 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) Stories from the field 22-3-2007 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. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Detention) 25-6-2004 Torture : “…the first step is to break down the wall of silence”Comment by Alain Aeschlimann, head of the ICRC’s Central Tracing Agency and Protection division, on the occasion of the UN's international day in support of victims of torture, 26 June. (ICRC Activities\Protection\Detention) |