Female prisoners in Sittwe jail face relentless rights violations

The female prisoners in Sittwe jail have been facing human rights violations from the prison authorities regularly, said a woman leader of an organization.    

The women prisoners are facing problems every day. They are not only forced to work hard, but also being assaulted by the prison authorities.

They are forced to work inside buildings and even asked to clean bushes and carry water.

"There are two female officials who have been engaging in oppressing female prisoners. Even when somebody is not feeling well, she is not allowed to take rest,” described the woman leader.

Moreover, the women prisoners are deprived of medications in need.

"The officers even rebuke the Rakhine prisoners when they ask for menstrual precautionary items. They don't get those items in jail,” she added.

The female prisoners need to sit from 4:20 to 7:00 am in a queue. They have to sit on the squat at 7:20 am for hot water. During the afternoon hours (5 to 7:30 pm) they are again insulted.

The concern for security of women prisoners is also raised as more women have been arrested for political activism in the last few months.

Since the military coup in Myanmar, the military council has arrested more than 3,400 women, out of them over 600 have already died, said a statement from the Myanmar/Burma Women's Union (BWU).