Both men and women are subjected to prolonged segregation, but women endure it at much higher rates. One independent review found that women in prison are segregated 73% more often than men, with over 100 recorded cases in 2019 where women spent 15 days or longer in isolation—a duration internationally defined as torture.

At least 93% of these long-term cases affected Māori or Pacific women. In some units, women were strip-searched, restrained, forced to kneel while food was delivered, or even pepper-sprayed—with almost no attempt at calming down the situation first.

This is not justice. This is not rehabilitation. It is a continuation of state violence layered over lives already burdened by trauma.

We urgently demand:

An end to oversight-free regimes like PERD, TNOC, and PERU
Independent reporting and review of all segregation
Full compliance with the Mandela Rules and Te Tiriti o Waitangi, with culturally responsive, trauma-informed support for women

Thank you for helping us amplify these urgent human rights abuses. Let’s keep pushing.