AMICABLE SETTLEMENT ON FREE ACCESS TO HYGIENIC PRODUCTS FOR INCARCERATED WOMEN IN THE CONTEXT OF THE RIGHT TO HEALTH IN PRISON: AN EXEMPLARY CASE FROM TÜRKIYE
Abstract
The state has an obligation to ensure that individuals in prison, due to arrest or conviction, benefit from the right to health. This right, as defined by the World Health Organization, includes complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This right must be provided free of charge. In addition, the health needs of incarcerated women - particularly those related to menstrual health - require gender-sensitive and rights-based approaches. In Türkiye, the lack of free access to menstrual pads for incarcerated women has been increasingly documented and has given rise to human rights concerns. Thus, non-governmental organisations and lawyers have been increasingly demanding gender-sensitive policies. This study reviews the literature on the right to health of incarcerated women and examines the human rights issues arising from inadequate access to menstrual products. Then, the application made by legal clinic students, accompanied by Özyeğin University faculty members, to Türkiye’s Ombudsman Institution which resulted in an amicable settlement is contextualised as an important example of states’ fulfilment of their obligations regarding the right to health.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Criminal Law, Law and Society and Socio-Legal Research
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
May 22, 2026
Submission Date
November 26, 2025
Acceptance Date
January 29, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 28 Number: 1