Mistreatment of female inmates, overcrowded cells, and lack of basic medical facilities have put prisoners in Pakistan at risk of disease and death, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) report has revealed.

The 55-page report titled A Nightmare for Everyone: The Health Care Crisis in Pakistan’s Prisons was released on Wednesday.

HRW said severe overcrowding in Pakistani jails is a result of the country’s “outdated and discriminatory bail laws”. “Pakistan’s more than 100 jails had at least 88,000 inmates, against the officially approved capacity of 65,168.”

It revealed that some jail cells were holding as many as 15 prisoners when they were designed for just three people. They are forced to live under unsanitary conditions and “lice, fleas, scabies, and skin diseases are common in prison,” it said.

Moreover, the watchdog cited a number of instances where under-trial prisoners passed away after jail authorities failed to provide basic healthcare.

They fear that taking prisoners outside for medical checkups “could be used as an excuse to request bail on medical grounds”.

Mistreatment of female inmates

Female prisoners are being subjected to “mistreatment and abuse” on a large scale, an HRW report said.

Shockingly, the report quoting lawyers and rights activists said, women were especially vulnerable to being abused by male prison guards, “including sexual assault, rape, and being pressured to engage in sex in exchange for food or favours”.

The HRW report said poor hygiene in jails caused tuberculosis among inmates, which spreads “29 percent faster in jails” compared with the general population. The rights body also pointed out a shortage of medical staff for the inmates. “The number of designated posts for medical officers for all prisons in Pakistan was 193, but as of 2020, 105 of these posts were vacant.”