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News KENYA: Life of children in prison
News KENYA: Life of children in prison
| KENYA: Life of children in prison |
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 A visit to this nursery school, one would assume the toddlers lead normal lives. They play and run around freely, oblivious of the high concrete walls and iron gates of the prison. These toddlers do not even know they are in prison, the only place they call home. They are in prison for committing one crime-being born to women who broke the law and were jailed.
We are at Langata Women's Prison, a maximum-security facility, 10 km from Kenya’s capital, Nairobi. The prison is home to around 700-1000 inmates. In this prison, there are more than 50 children under the age of four living inside the prison with their mothers, who are serving sentences for crimes ranging from homicide, theft, kidnapping to drug trafficking. These are Kenyan's youngest inmates, who are keeping their mothers' company as they serve their jail terms. From the onset, these children look jovial as they wander around the kindergarten playground, doing all sorts of child games. Those who are still too young to walk are carried by their mothers, who play with them on the ground or at swings. One would mistake this playground for a children's park; the only difference is that their guardians are dressed in prison uniforms. Unlike other children in normal upbringing, the scenario here is different. Children are accustomed to the same buildings, same people each day. They have no access to the outside world and are deprived of the 'fun' enjoyed by other kids. They cannot visit parks, show grounds, swimming pools or picnic sites. They cannot go on holidays in exciting destinations. The only place they call home is characterized by dark, cold cells and corridors that are often overcrowded, making the place stuffy and dump. And despite the prison's rehabilitation from its previous dilapidated status to a much cleaner and presentable facility, it is still a far cry for a child's upbringing. A mother's agony For most mothers, the situation is agonizing. They are torn between a rock and a hard place, whether to give away their children or serve their time with them. Most inmates who spoke on condition of anonymity shared their predicament with Africa News. They fear that if their babies are taken away from them, they would suffer at the hands of outsiders, including relatives. Some also believe that they would lose their initial bond with their babies, once mother and child are separated. Raising a child in a prison cell is not a bed of roses, admits *Mary, a 27-year-old mother of a five-month old baby girl. Mary was pregnant with her second baby when she was jailed for theft. And during her labour, she admits that the nurses taking care of her were rude and negligent. "I almost died because the mid-wives were rather slow to attend to me. One particular nurse hauled insults on me, calling me a criminal, due to my offense," she said amid tears. Clutching her daughter on her chest, she plants loving kisses on the baby's cheeks as she reveals her worst fears to this reporter. "I wonder what will happen to me when my child will be taken away from me. She is my joy, my inspiration and the reason for living. She makes me view life with a positive attitude. My whole world will end when my lovely angel is taken away from me." *Amelda, a 35-year-old mother jailed for drug trafficking is quite remorseful. She regrets the blissful life she had, prior to her arrest and the carefree lifestyle that emanated from the sale of drugs. "At the time I did not care but now that I am in prison, I am so worried. My worry goes to my son back home. Who will give him a proper upbringing? Who will tell him that drugs are dangerous?” Amelda gave birth to her son while serving her first year in prison. After five months, her in-laws came and took him away, for fear that prison life would break the child. "Although my in-laws occasionally bring my son to me, our bond is gradually fading. He hardly recognizes me and he seems aloof," she admits. Like Amelda, most mothers fear for the children they leave back home. They worry of their upkeep and this leads them to suffer from stress and depression. Those under severe stress face a double jeopardy while nursing young ones in prison confinements. Multi-tasking as a mother and prisoner is not easy for most mothers, but they have little choice. They have to juggle between breastfeeding, attending rehabilitation and doing prison duties. Children, on the other hand will have to make do with prison care givers, who do not often show much love for these young ones as would their mothers. Different lifestyle A normal upbringing of a child requires mother and child to be together. However, being a mother in prison is something that poses challenges to both parties. Prison life, according to experts, can make or break a child depending on the guidance they receive while the mother is incarcerated. In an earlier interview with Susan Nandwa of Save the Children of Hope Organization, she argues that no bond exceeds that of a mother and her child. "No one can raise a child better than a mother. Mothers are very important in the upbringing of their children. So, when a mother goes to prison, that takes on a whole new meaning." In prison the children have little opportunity to bond or form relationships with other family members particularly their father and brothers and sisters and this may affect their up-bringing. Another prisoner, *Sarah, who was convicted for killing her sister, comes from a poor background. She has an eight- month-old baby who is always sick. Her baby contracted pneumonia when he was two months. The drugs prescribed for her by the prison doctors are quite expensive, despite the meagre handouts she gets from relatives. "I am afraid my child might die. Often times she is at the brink of death and it’s only by God's grace that she is still alive." The baby girl looks very frail, and her watery and all-white eyes can only make one cry. Sarah is serving a 16-year sentence. She decries the tough conditions of the prison but admits that she would rather see her baby die in prison than outside, with hostile relatives. Rearing a child in prison, according to child experts is not the best thing. The seclusion is not conducive for a growing child, said one child expert who declined to be named. The expert adds that a child's life is defined by the strict rules and routines of prison life. "A child has to line up with her mother every morning for roll calls and to follow the commands of the officers. During rain or excess sun-rays or even if the child is sick, it has to accompany its mother for routine activities,” the expert added. A UN report on Violence against Babies and small children living in prison with their mothers shows that children living in jail lead “unhealthy lives”, which may largely affects their future. “Prison is not a healthy environment for babies and young children. The mother is inevitably under stress, prisons tend to be noisy and privacy is difficult. Stimulation is severely restricted. Many prisons holding babies and young children have few specially trained staff, poor play and exercise facilities, and the development of movement skills is restricted,” reads the report in part. Situation improved The officer in charge of the prison, Grace Odhiambo, gives a different perception of the prison. A sociologist by profession, Odhiambo takes pride in initiating some rehabilitation measures in the facility. In her six-year tenure, a lot has improved. Prison wardens have become more friendly to inmates by regarding them as normal human beings, unlike before when they looked down on them and uttered obscenities in their faces. "The cells are cleaner. Inmates sleep in clean beddings and eat descent food. The prison nursery is cheery, hygienic and reasonably equipped with baby toys," she says. Furthermore, inmates learn certain skills such as computer, how to run small businesses, hair-dressing, irrigation among others. Odhiambo has also been recognized for initiating Open days in prisons.” On several occasions, we allow visitors to come and see the inmates and bring their children to bond with their 'locked' mothers. She added, “We invite pastors and motivational speakers to bring hope to the inmates." The humble lady believes that a prison should not only focus on punitive measures, but should dwell on rehabilitation of inmates through counselling and embracing the inmates as normal human beings. One of her highlights goes into the improvement of parenting, albeit, remote in prisons. This, she says, enhances the bond between mother and child. She also gives motivational talks to the children left behind by locked mothers. "The stigma of a mother's arrest often spreads to her children, who are often shunned by neighbors and relatives. And with no proper upbringing, they often become delinquent or end up in streets." Odhiambo is the recipient of a prestigious award - the Outstanding Correctional Service Worker award from the Canadian- based International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA). Statistics show that women account for less than 7 per cent of prisoners in Sub-Sahara Africa but the figure is increasing. In Kenya, the population of women prisoners has surpassed that of men, with recent figures showing the upsurge at 42%, nearly twice as fast as their male counterparts. As modernity catches on with most African state-run institutions, these prisoners turned mothers will only hope that life behind bars will soon improve to ensure a better future for their wards. Source: Joyce J. Wangui, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya Photo credit: Prison authorities
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Comments
These babies are the ones that I have sympathy towards, I am not surprised of the pathetic childish nature of those who call themselves doctors and nurses, because the reason why they behaviour is because they are so greedy and so arrogant in-thnking that they're more civilised than others.
Being civilised doesn't mean being arrogant, it means you have morals and it shows with these people that don't have any even if they are in their medical profession.
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