Women and HIV/AIDS in prison: a human rights approach : the Angola context

Abstract

Prisoners do not (should not) lose their rights while they are deprived of their liberty under the custody of the State besides the lawful limitations inherent to incarceration. They must be considered by the State as part of the population and Governments should not neglect their rights as human beings. As prison systems have been primarily designed for men, who continue to be the majority of the prison population, prison policies and procedures often do not address women’s rights and needs. Data on the health of women in prison and the health care provided for them, namely related with HIV/AIDS, is rare. This situation inhibits the States to adequately respect, protect and fulfil the inalienable human rights of women in prison even when they are provided by the national and international law. As an example of this situation we chose the Angola´s context. Among it, the current thesis aims to assess the problematic related with women prisoners affected by HIV/AIDS in a human rights perspective . It explores how the existing international, regional and national human rights instruments, to which Angola has adhered, guarantee the protection of women in this particular situation and the importance of systematic assessment necessary to effectively fulfil those rights.