MoSD Launches Training on Protecting Female Inmates' Rights
Ramallah – Minister of Social Development Dr. Samah Hamad opened today a specialized training programme aimed at strengthening the capacities of social workers and prisoner care counselors to protect the rights of female inmates in correction and rehabilitation centers through a human rights-based approach, in cooperation with the Independent Commission for Human Rights and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine.
The opening session of the training, held in Ramallah on 2 and 3 September, was attended by the Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine, Mr. Ajith Sunghay, and the Director General of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Dr. Ammar Dwaik, alongside social workers, psychologists, and prisoner care counselors from the Ministry of Social Development.
Dr. Hamad emphasized that the training responds to the need to strengthen the professional role of social workers and prisoner care counselors in working with female inmates and to further develop intervention and follow-up mechanisms within correction and rehabilitation centers. She noted that difficult economic and social conditions, together with the prevalence of violence, create challenges that require more specialized and systematic professional responses.
Dr. Hamad stressed that deprivation of liberty does not mean deprivation of rights, affirming that female inmates are entitled to dignity and to health, psychological, and social care. She explained that professional intervention should ensure that women do not leave detention more vulnerable or isolated, but rather better prepared to return to their families and reintegrate into society.
She highlighted the importance of moving beyond visits and individual follow-up conducted by social workers and prisoner care counselors toward a clear institutional framework based on needs assessment, case management, intervention planning, coordination with families and relevant institutions, preparation for release, and social reintegration.
Dr. Hamad also affirmed that the Ministry of Social Development plays a fundamental role in protecting and caring for the most vulnerable groups, particularly women, children, older persons, and persons with disabilities. She noted that social workers are a key component of the protection system, as their professional interventions are guided by the best interests, needs, and social and psychological rights of each case.
Dr. Hamad also referred to her visit to the Correction and Rehabilitation Center in Beitunia, noting that an agreement had been reached with the police to work on rehabilitating and improving the women’s section and its conditions in order to provide a more suitable environment for the protection and care of female inmates.
For his part, Head of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Palestine, Mr. Ajith Sunghay, emphasized the importance of strengthening the capacities of Palestinian institutions to ensure that persons deprived of their liberty are treated in accordance with international human rights standards, with particular attention to women and the most vulnerable groups in places of detention.
Director General of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, Dr. Ammar Dwaik, stressed the importance of strengthening institutional coordination and integration between the Commission and the Ministry of Social Development to improve mechanisms for addressing and following up on social cases within places of detention and to support pathways for social reintegration following release.
The two-day training programme, totaling 12 training hours, focuses on international and national standards relating to the rights of female inmates, the Bangkok Rules and the Nelson Mandela Rules, case management in detention settings, assessment of psychological, social, and economic needs, development of individualized intervention plans, and approaches for working with pregnant women, mothers, and the most vulnerable girls. It also addresses coordination and referral mechanisms involving families, correction and rehabilitation centers, and relevant institutions.