The inspection on 25 October identified overcrowding as a major problem, alongside needs in mental and reproductive healthcare and support for pregnant detainees and children. Fatimatou Mohamed Lemine Ndieyane, president of the National Observatory for the Rights of Women and Girls, also called for sufficient female security staff to conduct searches and deal directly with prisoners.
Inspectors examined prison registers and detainees’ legal situations, then interviewed women privately, away from prison administrators and security personnel. The observatory said the visit produced urgent recommendations that the authorities undertook to implement. It did not disclose the prison’s capacity, the number of women held or the detailed commitments.
The findings will feed into a national report on women’s detention facilities. Its recommendations are to address living conditions, healthcare and the differing needs of younger, older and foreign detainees.