Rights violations in prisons disproportionately affect women and girls. From hygiene products to the most basic personal-care items, many of their essential needs are either denied or restricted, leaving women deprived of both health and social rights. Women who already struggle to access even their most fundamental necessities are also denied items such as tweezers, sanitary pads, books, newspapers or traditional trousers. In response to these widespread violations, the Association of Lawyers for Freedom (ÖHD), the Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association Women’s Rights Commission and the Diyarbakır (Amed) Bar Association Prison Commission held meetings with women prisoners in Elazığ (Xarpêt), Erzincan (Erzîngan), Erzurum (Erzirom) and Diyarbakır (Amed) prisons. Lawyer Bahar Eryılmaz, a member of the Diyarbakır Bar Association Prison Commission, stated that they will pursue legal action based on the accounts they received during these visits. She also drew attention to the rising number of women prisoners in these facilities.
Number of women prisoners has increased
Lawyer Bahar Eryılmaz explained that most legal applications are filed with the Ministry of Justice, while complaints are sometimes submitted to the Ombudsman Institution or the Office of the Chief Public Prosecutor. She then shared the November 2025 data from the Civil Society in the Penal System Association. Eryılmaz recalled that prisons in Turkey are operating at 40.50 percent over capacity, noting that there are 19,969 women prisoners, including 194 girls and said: “Last year, the number of women prisoners was 11,407, whereas this year it has risen to 19,969. This means an increase of nearly 75 percent. The number of girls has also risen by 102 percent. Overcrowding directly triggers numerous problems, from nutrition to hygiene, from access to water to time in the yard.”
Even tweezers are being confiscated
Bahar Eryılmaz noted that one of the areas where rights violations are most severe is healthcare and described the situation as follows: “There is insufficient attention in the infirmary, and access to medication is delayed. During hospital referrals, prisoners are kept for hours in caged compartments of transport vehicles and taken to examinations in double handcuffs, which are not removed during the medical check. Doctor–patient confidentiality is violated by the gendarmerie. Access to sanitary pads is extremely limited, and the pads distributed are of very poor quality. Hot water quotas are also insufficient. Meals are low in both portion size and nutritional value. Prisoners with coeliac disease, as well as vegetarian or vegan prisoners, are not provided with meals appropriate to their diets. Breastfeeding mothers are not given supplementary nutrition.”
Strip searches and oral cavity searches have become systematic
Bahar Eryılmaz also stated that even basic personal-care items such as tweezers are confiscated in the Elazığ T-Type Women’s Prison, noting that this has turned into a systematic practice. Eryılmaz also said: “Strip searches, oral cavity searches and sentence extensions have become systematic. Families who come for visits are forced to undergo oral cavity searches. Prisoners’ requests to meet with the prison director or administration are rejected. Transfer requests are denied without any justification.”
The state remains male even inside prisons
Lawyer Bahar Eryılmaz emphasized the severe isolation imposed in Y, S and High-Security prisons, noting that the level of solitary confinement in these facilities is extremely harsh. Eryılmaz stated that international standards such as the Bangkok Rules, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Istanbul Convention are not taken into consideration and said: “Women are controlled by patriarchal norms at every moment of their lives. Prison is the place where this pressure becomes most intense. What we call the ‘male state’ becomes far more visible inside prisons. Despite these harsh conditions, hope lies in organized struggle. We believe that women’s resistance, inside and outside, will continue to challenge the male-state mentality. Struggle keeps us alive. For a sustainable social peace, we must devote greater attention to rights violations in prisons, implement the necessary legal regulations and establish a transparent, accountable inspection mechanism.”