Women movement: strip-searching of female inmates no longer mandatory
By Gvantsa Gabekhadze
Thursday, August 27
Searching female inmates by means of disrobing and bending over will no longer be mandatory, women’s movement representative and head of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy, Nino Lomjaria, said.
According to her, the movement has carried out a monitoring at the No.5 prison and presented its recommendations directly to the Minister of Corrections.
According to Lomjaria, Minister Kakha Kakhishvili promised to resolve several basic problems in the penitentiary system.
“Female inmates were ordered to take off their clothes and bend over. Such practices violate women’s rights.
Minister Kakha Kakhishvili agreed to change the decree and searching inmates by such invasive methods will no longer be mandatory,” Nino Lomjaria said.
According to her, by the initiative of the women’s movement, the Ministries of Health and Corrections will provide female inmates with sanitary napkins and pads.
Lomjaria stressed that Kakhishvili promised her that privacy in bathrooms would be provided as well.
“Kakhishvili also mentioned that female inmates will be allowed to have long visits starting next year,” she said.
According to Lomjaria, another problem is the absence of a methadone program for women and the Minister has already expressed readiness to start working on this issue.
Kakhishvili worked in the civil sector and chaired an NGO until taking the post of deputy Minister of Corrections and then the ministerial post a month ago.
