The Ministry of Justice, the General Committee on Prisons and Rehabilitation (GCPR), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) celebrated International Women’s Day with the official launch of a new project titled “Improving Gender-responsive Correctional Services for Female Prisoners in Tunisia, in Line with International Standards.”  The official ceremony took place in Tunis, Tunisia, and was attended by Mr. Karim Touahri, Member of the Ministry of Justice Cabinet in charge for the prison system, Mr. Imed El Ouji, President of the General Committee on Prisons and Rehabilitation, Ms. Cristina Albertin, UNODC Regional Representative for the Middle East and North Africa (virtual attendance), and Ms. Ariel Huerta, Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) in Tunisia. 

Under this project, UNODC will contribute to improving prison conditions for women and increasing their access to targeted health and support services, as well as facilitate the reintegration of former female prisoners. Particular attention will also be paid to the inclusion of the most vulnerable categories of female detainees, including pregnant women, women with children, women with disabilities, foreign national female prisoners, women victims of gender-based violence (GBV) prior to detention, and women with drug use disorders. As a proactive step and in parallel to the occasion, UNODC delivered hygiene kits and sportswear to the women’s prison of Manouba. 

From their side, Mr. Karim Touahri and Mr. Imed El Ouji praised the effective cooperation with UNODC, and the quality of the technical support provided regarding crime prevention and criminal justice. They also commended UNODC for its innovative approach to facilitate prisoners’ rehabilitation and reduce recidivism, while taking into account the needs of specific categories of prisoners such as women, children and young people. 

Characterized by a holistic approach, the project aims not only to improve the conditions of female prisoners and former prisoners through the improvement of infrastructure and the provision of equipment for rehabilitation and vocational training units, taking into account the needs of the most vulnerable categories, but also to provide training to prison staff, healthcare personnel in the prison setting, law enforcement and judicial staff. 

The thematic areas on which trainings will be carried out cover a broad range of aspects aimed at facilitating reintegration and the reduction of recidivism. This includes capacity building on the Bangkok and Nelson Mandela Rules, but also on sexual, reproductive, maternal and child health, as well as trainings to offer psychological support through Cognitive and Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and help women detainees who were victims of gender-based violence. 

Additional support will be dedicated to addressing the well-being of children of female prisoners, ensuring their healthy development and protection, as well as the issues faced by women detainees with drug use disorders and those who are victims of stigma in their families, in order to equip them to positively cope with reintegration into the outside world. 

These initiatives will be carried out in close coordination and cooperation with the Tunisian authorities, academia, including the National School of Prisons and Rehabilitation, and Civil Society Organizations, thus forming a network of expert stakeholders to join forces and improve detention conditions and the reintegration of female prisoners. 

In her opening remarks, Ms. Cristina Albertin praised the expansive and long-lasting cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and GCPR in crime prevention and criminal justice, which has led to the development and the implementation of the project on CBT in the prison context, a significant first pilot initiative in the MENA region, as well as the project on the rehabilitation and reintegration of children and young people in correctional services. 

Referring to the launch of the new project, the Regional Representative underlined that it is an encouraging undertaking, which testifies to Tunisia's historic commitment to the protection of women's rights. Ms. Albertin concluded by praising the fact that the launch took place on a significant day dedicated to women during which the UN calls the world to “Invest in women: Accelerate progress.” 

Ms. Ariel Huerta praised Tunisia for this achievement and congratulated UNODC for the relevance of the new project implemented jointly with the Ministry of Justice and the GCPR, that builds on the promising results produced through previous and current projects in the rehabilitation of prisoners. 

Firmly believing that investing in the advancement of women will lead to better services and greater fairness and equality before the law for all members of society, UNODC is committed to actively supporting national authorities in effectively integrating gender aspects into prison reform, taking into account the specific needs of women in contact with the criminal justice system. 

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For more information: 

Supporting the Establishment of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy Treatment Programmes in Prison Settings, in Line with Relevant International Standards 

Cognitive and Behavioural Therapy: Rebuilding Lives in Tunisian Prisons

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy at Tunisian Prisons