Human Rights Watch found that lock-ups are invariably overcrowded, with cells frequently holding more than twice the number of detainees for which they were designed. One facility with a capacity of 50 held 138 prisoners, including numerous minors. A lack of beds forces prisoners to sleep on the floors, which are filthy, damp and often covered with urine. Because access to functional toilets is severely restricted, prisoners often have little choice but to urinate and defecate in the cells. Children detained in cells with adults are often the prey of older prisoners, and some reported being beaten, raped and stabbed.
Children are also subject to abuse by police.
One fifteen year old girl reported being raped by a police officer while held in a lockup overnight, while others reported abusive language, severe beatings and mock executions. Children may be detained for months, and in some cases, over a year. One thirteen-year old boy was held for eight months after being accused of stealing a radio. However, despite the long periods of detention, prisoners have no opportunity for physical exercise, and medical care is provided, if at all, only in the event of an emergency. In addition, most prisoners told Human Rights Watch that they relied on visits from family members to get enough food, as the food supplied in the lockups was limited and of poor quality.