In response to these challenges and needs, at the beginning of October 2024, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Madagascan Ministry of Justice organized a workshop on prisons that brought together 14 French-speaking African countries. This workshop follows on from the workshops that have taken place every two years in different African capital cities since 2017.

“The aim of the workshop is to give people from the prison services of different African countries the opportunity to share their experiences with one another, as well as with ICRC experts,” Mr Ciss explains. “We hope they learn as much as possible and then try to implement what they’ve learnt when they return to their countries. Whether that be in terms of improving rehabilitation or building new prisons, we hope they take on board all the good practices that they learn here.”

Unfortunately, existing prisons are often not well looked after. For example, it is common to find damaged equipment that has not been repaired and blocked or dirty drains, which lead to a lack of water and poor hygiene conditions, putting detainees’ health at risk. Humane conditions of detention must be preserved and prison maintenance is an essential part of this. Authorities need to find alternatives to detention and, as a last resort, they must replace run-down facilities to ensure detainees are treated humanely.

“We cannot do everything at once, but it is clear to see that we are gradually making progress,” said Ms Rahantarilalao, following the visit to the Imerintsiatosika prison.