It has now been quite a long time since the North Regional Office of ActionAid Ethiopia (AAE) has been working to influence prison and police administrations in the area of ensuring respect for the rights of prison inmates, especially women. These efforts have already begun producing some results including the revision of the state police training curricula aimed at protecting the rights of minors and female prisoners. About 20 prisons in the northern region have already introduced child care units while treatment of prisoners has also been considerably improved, according to a study conducted by the Law Faculty of Bahirdar University.

According to Wubshet Ergete, North Regional Office Coordinator, AAE initiated Legal Aid Centres in the Mekale and Bahirdar  universities for providing legal aid and advice to women and other  people in need.

The Regional Office organized a one-day workshop on December 30, 2005 for law executing bodies with the aim to further sensitize concerned bodies to seek solutions to various forms of injustice and abuse of rights committed against prisoners in Amhara State.

Workshop participants including representatives of prison administrations, the state police and other law executing bodies discussed problems identified by the AAE-sponsored study. They discussed measures that every law enforcing institution should take to address the problems. They dwelt at length on the need for issuing a national policy pertaining to treatment and rights of prisoners in the framework of the provisions specified in international declarations ratified by the country.