Bangladeshi jail conditions harsh for women

A report by a Bangladeshi human rights organisation says that the conditions endured by women prisoners in the country's jails are unacceptable.

The group, Odhikar, says that women are forced into cramped and overcrowded cells which lack proper sanitation and ventilation.

One of the report's co-authors Saira Rahman Khan said that in Dhaka Central Jail, there were nearly three times the number of female prisoners the prison was designed for.

The report also said that allegations of sexual harassment and extortion were commonplace.

Odhikar urged the Bangladeshi government to set up separate jails for women.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service