Though even there you exaggerate by equating the two, as damane are treated more like animals than anything else - remember the thing with the titles, "der'suldam" in analogy with "der'toraken" and the other officers in charge of animals. The Tower treatment of novices and Accepted is harsh at times, but honestly not even in the same league, excepting of course what they do to Egwene, under rather special circumstances. Aiel treatment of Wise One apprentices is still harsher, but also not remotely as bad - hard, but fair.

But when you get to the topic of leashed marath'damane, the captured Aes Sedai and Sea Folk and others, including Egwene in The Great Hunt, the comparison becomes completely absurd. There we are talking about intentionally breaking people, abusing and harrassing and torturing them until they break. TGH Egwene admittedly hadn't had her Aiel training yet, and was not yet resistant to pain like she is in KoD and tGS, but you'll note that it's not the pain itself that is most vivid in her nightmares and memories, but the being broken, the part of her that *wants* to please the suldam.