CAT/OP/CHL/1 particularly single mothers, who are caring for their children. The Subcommittee observed cases of mothers in San Miguel Prison in Santiago and the prison in Antofagasta who had been awaiting trial for more than one year. 85. The Subcommittee reminds the State party of the principle of the best interests of the child and rule 58, on pretrial and sentencing alternatives for women, of the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (Bangkok Rules). 86. The poor material conditions existing in the facilities visited in San Miguel, Quillota and Antofagasta have a severe impact on the physical well-being of women. In those three locations, access to sanitary facilities was not sufficient. At the Antofagasta prison, women did not have toilets in their rooms and had to use plastic buckets during lock-down. A lack of privacy was noted in the women’s unit at the privately run prison in Valdivia, where the toilet facilities are located within view of a camera in the yard. Women were not provided with sanitary towels or other basic personal hygiene products at any of the facilities that were visited and had to obtain such items from visitors or from other prisoners if they did not have any visitors. 87. Through numerous interviews, the Subcommittee identified a pattern of discrimination. Women received fewer conjugal visits than men did and had fewer opportunities to participate in professional workshops and recreational activities and to engage in physical exercise. Workshops at the Antofagasta prison included modelling, sewing, hairdressing and manicuring, thereby perpetuating gender stereotypes and creating unequal access to employment and a greater risk of poverty. 88. At the Valdivia prison, the Subcommittee noted that, while men were segregated according to the seriousness of their offence, in the women’s area, all categories of detainees were held together. The Subcommittee observed a high degree of tension and a dangerous atmosphere among the detainees. This situation could well be regarded as a component of systematic discrimination in privately run prisons. 89. The Subcommittee recommends that the State party adopt a cross-cutting approach to gender mainstreaming in its incarceration and rehabilitation policies. 90. The Subcommittee is concerned by the existence of serious discrimination against lesbian detainees. While relationships between male detainees are allowed, relationships between female detainees are not tolerated, leading some female detainees to attempt suicide by drinking bleach or setting fire to themselves as a form of protest and in order to avoid being separated from their partners. A number of couples reported having been insulted by prison officials and subjected to sexual humiliation. 91. The Subcommittee recommends that, in line with rule 16 of the Bangkok Rules, the authorities, in consultation with the mental health and social welfare services, develop and implement strategies to prevent suicide and self-harm among women prisoners. 92. The restriction of visits as a disciplinary measure represents a further violation of women’s rights. While the measure is applied in both men’s and women’s prisons, it affects women differently. The Subcommittee found cases of women who had had their visits restricted for several months, either by the courts or by prison directors. The measure had caused these women serious psychological suffering. In all the prisons it visited, the Subcommittee also heard a number of complaints regarding the alleged arbitrariness of punishments and discrepancies in the application of sanctions for the same offence. 93. The Subcommittee recalls that, under rule 23 of the Bangkok Rules, disciplinary sanctions for women prisoners should not include a prohibition of family contact, especially with their children. 94. The Subcommittee was apprised of the serious situation of a female former prison guard who was being held in an isolation cell in San Miguel Prison with no access to a bathroom. She was at a distinct disadvantage when compared with the male former prison guards being held in the Antofagasta prison and the Special High Security Unit in Santiago, who had a number of privileges. 14 GE.17-07771