HIV, TB and Abuse in Zambian Prisons

In many African countries, prisons are overcrowded, violent, and incubators of infectious disease. In Zambia, cells are crammed to the point that inmates sleep seated or in shifts; food is so inadequate that it has become a commodity traded for sex; and hard labor conditions are brutal and may amount to torture.  Despite the potential for prisons to incubate deadly multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis, Zambian prisoners receive few HIV or TB prevention or treatment services.

What can be done to improve health in Zambian prisons, both to respect the rights of prisoners and to protect public health? In 2009-2010, the Health and Human Rights program at Human Rights Watch, in collaboration with Zambia's Prisons Care and Counselling Association (PRISCCA) and the AIDS and Rights Alliance for Southern Africa (ARASA), interviewed Zambian prisoners, prison officers and government and NGO representatives to better understand the range of challenges.

Joseph Amon and Katherine Todrys, the authors of the resulting study, will discuss their findings and suggest a way forward for prisons in Zambia and in the region.

Please RSVP promptly to africa@csis.org, as space is limited.  A light lunch will be served at this event.