16
detained on public order grounds. In one case,
violence (GBV).28 By the time we published the
the judge accepted the argument that the client
second edition, however, the police had
was not a threat to public order despite being
changed their practice: between November
accused of a crime and the individual was
2021 and January 2023, no women were
released, while another judge rejected the
detained in the PRDC.29
argument in an almost identical case. Those
In April 2023, however, the police reintroduced
two cases are discussed further in Part 4 of
Section IV on the right to an effective remedy
and demonstrate the many barriers to
challenging arbitrary detention practices on
Kos.
the practice of detaining single women. From
April to May 2023, at least three women were
detained in the PRDC.30 All three women were
rejected asylum seekers who were transferred
to the Kos PRDC after their asylum procedure
had concluded on Leros. Further discussed in
B. Demographics
the detention conditions section below, the
This section provides an overview of the
conditions for women detained in the PRDC
demographics of clients detained in the PRDC
were particularly abhorrent as the facilities and
during
focusing
authorities were, and remain, ill-equipped to
particularly on the unlawful detention of
meet the specific needs of women. Such needs
certain groups. During the last reporting
include: separate accommodation spaces, extra
period, only single men were detained in the
guarantees for privacy and safety, and specific
PRDC, meaning no women, families, or
safeguards for survivors of gender-based
recognized minors were detained in the PRDC.
violence, among other things.
the
reporting
period,
This year, Equal Rights observed the reintroduction of the detention of women, in
addition to the continuation of the detention of
vulnerable persons and minors incorrectly
registered as adults.
Equal Rights was able to interview one of three
women for this report, Lana. At the time Equal
Rights staff met with Lana, they noted that the
client was in a poor physical and emotional
state due to her detention. Throughout her
1. Detention of Women
interview, she shared personal concerns over a
When the first edition of this report was
lack
published in November 2021, women were
particularly over the lack of separate space and
regularly detained in the PRDC, and we
yard for women in the Kos PRDC. As she
highlighted the inadequate and unlawful
explained, "If I go out, I just walk out the door of
conditions for women in detention, including
the room for a few minutes and go back in."
women being housed in mix-gender sections
Moreover, Lana noted that the room she was
and facing a lack of security, especially for
placed in "was very dirty" but that the police
women who were survivors of gender-based
refused to house her in a different section
of
suitable
accommodation
and
Detained and Forgotten, supra note 1, at 50-51, 57, 61, 65.
Still Detained and Forgotten, supra note 2, at 10-11, 17.
30
Equal Rights was only aware of three women who were detained during the reporting period, two of whom
they were only made aware of after an Equal Rights staff observed their presence during a visit for another
client. However, the authorities do not publish statistics broken down by sex and gender, so it is possible that
more women were detained during the relevant period than reported here.
28
29
‘Still detained and forgotten’ – Update on Detention Policies, Practices, and Conditions on Kos 2023/24