Topic 2: Treatment of prisoners (especially political prisoners)
Country: The Republic of Mozambique
Committee: United Nations Commission on Human Rights
School: Skyview High School
Name: Pavan Vaswani

Throughout southern Africa, conditions for prisoners are wretched. In Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia, news reports describe intolerable conditions of overcrowding, disease, physical and sexual harassment as well as complete and utter violations of basic human rights set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Civil Liberties Organization in Nigeria has “decried the deplorable living conditions in Nigerian prisons” for their lack of medical treatment, slow judgment as to the prisoners’ cases resulting in overcrowding, with up to eighty percent of the inmates awaiting trial (Vanguard January 27, 2004). Prisons are sometimes over six times their maximum capacity. Doctors have found major health risks in prisons throughout southern Africa. Similar health conditions are not only present in Africa, but in other countries throughout the world as well. Questions as to the treatment and conditions for prisoners also arises as to political prisoners in states where prison conditions are better, for example, the United States and Guantánamo Bay. Concerns that must be addressed are the basic treatment of prisoners necessary, the method by which to enact and enforce changes required, as well as the division of the responsibility for reform between the United Nations, other health organizations, and individual states.

Even in the Republic of Mozambique, prisoners’ conditions and treatment is of great concern. In some prisons, AIDS and other sexually transmitted disease are spreading, unhealthy and healthy prisoners are not separated, leisure activities have been terminated, and guard and inmates alike physically and sexually mistreat the prisoners. The country is currently recovering from economic difficulties due to inflation; however, a great proportion of its population is still below the poverty line. Therefore, the Republic does not have a great amount of funds to allocate to improve conditions. However, the Republic supports change in the current prison system so long as economic ability to conduct such change is taken into account.

To consider the means by which to combat these deplorable conditions and preserve the basic human rights of all people, the root of the problem must be carefully discussed. As noted above, in much of Africa this problem lies in the overcrowding of prisons and excessive number of persons awaiting trial. A three-part solution is proposed to combat the problem by focusing on the root. The first is an accurate and in-depth analysis of prison overcrowding and the reasons for these conditions by United Nations’ inspectors. The second is to reduce the short-term problem by establishing more courts if necessary, building more prisons if necessary, and directly combating the problems discovered by the analysis in step one. This can be conducted with funds and support from both the United Nations and the states with the problem. The third and final step is to reduce the long-term problem. A joint effort by the states with significant problems and the United Nations to reduce the crime in the state by improving education and reducing poverty would effectively reduce prison overcrowding over the long-term. Once again, funds could be allocated by both the state and the United Nations to do so. This third step is already a focus of the United Nations, and a greater individual focus on those countries with greatest need would not only reduce the crime and poverty in those nations, but in the process reduce their prison overcrowding and therefore minimize the inhumane conditions there.