A Significant Achievement From ÖzÜ Law Clinics: All Women and Girls in Prisons Will Have Free Access to Hygienic Pads!

A Significant Achievement From ÖzÜ Law Clinics:
All Women and Girls in Prisons Will Have Free Access to Hygienic Pads!

ÖzÜ Law Clinics applied to the Ombudsman Institution. In the application, they stated that women and girls in prison experience menstrual poverty and that not having access to free and sufficient hygienic pads in closed institutions is a violation of the right to health and demanded that the Ministry of Justice take the necessary action.

Before the application, 16 volunteer students completed their preparations by receiving clinical training on "Ombudsman Institution", "Life in prison" and "Preparing an effective application petition" under the facilitation of Law Clinics Coordinator Attorney Selmin Cansu Demir and Lecturer Ferhat Yıldırım.

The application was submitted to the Ombudsman Institution in March 2022 to raise awareness as part of the World Women's Rights Day activities.

An important step was taken when the Ombudsman Institution forwarded the ÖzÜ Law Clinics' application to the Ministry of Justice in an effort for a friendly settlement: The Ministry of Justice, taking into account the application of ÖzÜ Law Clinics, sent the General Note dated 23.11.2022 and numbered E-9189/170104 on "Personal Hygiene Supplies" to all penal institutions and prosecutor's offices. This note states that hygiene supplies should be delivered to women without delay, without discrimination, and free of charge.

The Ombudsman Institution issued a friendly settlement decision with its decision dated 26.12.2022 and numbered 2022/10925 upon the Ministry of Justice taking action.
With this decision, all women and girls in penal institutions will now be able to access hygienic pads free of charge by protecting their health rights.

We would like to thank our students Arın Türk, Büşranur Karatekin, Ebrar Şehit, Eylül Tarım, Feyzanur Karci, Helin Nur Kartal, İlkim İnanır, Meltem Erden, Muhammed Ömer Yılmaz, Rabia Aktürk, Selensu Armağan, Simge Lara Otlu, Tuğçe Uğur, Umay Sezen Acar, Zeynep Onat and Zuhal Melike Karataş for their voluntary work. We wish our students continued success.

ÖzÜ Law Clinics will follow the decision and continue to work for access to justice.