Promoting health rights in prisons of EECA countries

Donor: Robert Carr Fund

Goal: To strengthen the role of the community of people with lived experience of incarceration in policy development and decision-making aimed at safeguarding the right to health in prisons across the EECA region

Countries: Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Ukraine

Project areas of work:

• establishing and developing a regional movement of people with lived experience of incarceration, including the formation of initiative groups and capacity strengthening;
• fostering regional cooperation and the exchange of experience among community representatives, government authorities, and civil society organizations on the right to health in prisons;
• introducing community-led monitoring (CLM) of health and social services, including the development of common approaches and tools to assess the availability and quality of services in penitentiary institutions;
• advancing penitentiary healthcare reform and the right to health of people in prison through dialogue with government authorities, the preparation of recommendations, and community participation in decision-making;
• raising public awareness of the right to health in prisons through information and advocacy campaigns.

Total budget: USD 370 000

Key project results:

• Community Development and Initiative Groups. For the first time in the EECA region, meetings were held with community representatives, and initiative groups of people with lived experience of incarceration were established and strengthened. Representatives from 6 countries – Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan – developed and implemented national advocacy plans and received regular technical support.
• Regional Cooperation and Exchange of Experience. The first regional meeting of representatives of the community of people with lived experience of incarceration was held in Istanbul on June 11-12, 2024. Participants identified the main challenges in their countries, developed a shared vision for the community’s growth, set priorities for advocacy and technical assistance, and expanded their network of regional contacts. On October 25, 2023, government representatives from Ukraine and Moldova exchanged experiences on providing harm reduction and rehabilitation services in prisons. During the meeting, Moldovan experts presented good practices for establishing and operating therapeutic communities and effective models for working with people who use drugs in penitentiary institutions.
• Developing Community-Led Monitoring (CLM). The Road Map “Access to HIV, Tuberculosis and Viral Hepatitis C Services in Prisons without Discrimination: Community-Led Monitoring” was developed. It is the first regional document describing approaches to monitoring in penitentiary institutions across EECA countries. Based on the approaches developed, community-led monitoring was conducted in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Tajikistan.
• Participation in Discussions on Penitentiary Healthcare Reform. A regional consultation on prospects for penitentiary healthcare reform in EECA countries was held in Yerevan on November 19-20, 2024. It brought together representatives of government authorities, penitentiary systems, and communities from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Moldova, and Ukraine. Participants discussed key challenges, learned from Armenia’s experience, and strengthened cross-country cooperation.
• Advancing the Right to Health. The information campaign “Restriction of Freedom Does Not Mean Restriction of the Right to Health” was implemented to raise awareness of the right of people in prison to access quality health services without discrimination. Access to health services in prisons and penitentiary healthcare reform were discussed at international forums, including the United Nations High-Level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage, events held within the framework of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, and the 25th International AIDS Conference.