Statement on child early marriage and female prisons is the notorious Gharachak prison : www.iranhrc.org
GD Item 8 The Vienna declaration stresses the indivisibility and universality of all human rights, and no excuse such as cultural diversity or cultural particularity justifies that universal rights could be suspended. This is why Sudwind would like to warn the council on the ongoing informal dialogues in order to remove the phrase: “child early marriage” from the draft resolution on the access to justice for children. This is taking place after the phrase “child early and forced marriage” was omitted from the conclusion of the 57th CSW session. We urge all the member states to oppose to the horrendous act of child early marriage. Mr. President, “Extreme poverty and social exclusion constitute a violation of human dignity”. Over 200000 prisoners exist in the I.R. of Iran. Poverty and drug related offences are the reasons for the imprisonment of most not-political female prisoners in this country. One of the most crowded female prisons is the notorious Gharachak prison. There are two bathrooms for each 120 women which are useable 15 hours a day. This means each and every woman has only 15 minutes to shower and wash her clothes. In the winter of 2013, prisoners didn’t have access to hot water for a long period throughout the whole prison. There are no heaters or coolers of any sort available in this prison. Since November 2013 sedatives have been suddenly banned for the prisoners who were used to have them. However, all sorts of drugs circulate very easily in the prison. When a prisoner happens to die as a cause of overdose for example, the corpse is in cases not removed until very late. This happens in spite of the fact that prisoners are enumerated each morning. Louse in Gharachak prison is epidemic. This was particularly irritating when the water was stopped to flow for more than 20 days in this prison during November 2013. No pillows and no mattresses are provided to the prisoners; they are only given two thin blankets which is not sufficient for a descent life in prison. They are also deprived of prison garments, and have to pay themselves for their clothes which is a burden on poorer prisoners. The latter group is constantly mocked by prison guards for borrowing clothes from others. This situation which sadly does not limit to only one Iranian prison deeply undermines the dignity of prisoners whose offences are mostly due to extreme poverty and hopelessness. Prisoners are human-beings who are mostly unaware of their rights and have no support and no knowledge of their rights in prison.
