Indigenous woman alleges she was stripsearched in front of male inmates in Canberra jail | ABC News

ACT politicians and prisoner advocates have called for an investigation after allegations a female Indigenous detainee was stripsearched in front of male inmates have been made public. Subscribe: http://ab.co/1svxLVE Read more here: https://ab.co/39mQ2Uw

The 37-year-old prisoner said the incident happened as she was being transferred to a crisis support unit at the Alexander Maconochie Centre (AMC) last month.

"Whilst laying on the bed, [there were] a total of four female officers, two male officers, two male nurses and five male detainees with full view," the woman wrote in a letter.

"I am a rape victim so you can only imagine the horror, the screams, the degrading feeling, the absolute fear and shame I was experiencing."

Yesterday Winnunga Nimmityjah Aboriginal Health Service CEO Julie Tongs said the woman's human rights had been completely disregarded.

Asked whether she believed there was systemic racism in the jail, ACT Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said it would be "naive" to assume there was not.

ABC News provides around the clock coverage of news events as they break in Australia and abroad, including the latest coronavirus pandemic updates. It's news when you want it, from Australia's most trusted news organisation.

For more from ABC News, click here: https://ab.co/2kxYCZY
Watch more ABC News content ad-free on iview: https://ab.co/2OB7Mk1

Go deeper on our ABC News In-depth channel: https://ab.co/2lNeBn2
Like ABC News on Facebook:   / abcnews.au  
Follow ABC News on Instagram:   / abcnews_au  
Follow ABC News on Twitter:   / abcnews  

#ABCNews #ABCNewsAustralia