Karachi: The Sindh government intends to build special hostels to provide secure accommodation facilities to former female prison inmates to help their drive to gain economic independence in their lives after release from jail.
Sindh Minister for Women Development, Shaheena Sher Ali, disclosed this while speaking at an Eid Millan reception organised at the Central Prison Karachi for its woman inmates and their accompanying minor children. The National Forum for Environment & Health (NFEH) hosted the reception.
Speaking to the reception participants, the Women Development Minister noted that female prison inmates, after their release from imprisonment, had to face social ostracisation, and even their family members weren’t able to accept them back into their fold.
She said that a proper shelter should be available to a former female prisoner to empower her to live her free life honourably after she faced rejection from her family, increasing her socio-economic vulnerability. If this shelter was missing, then there is a greater chance that these women would again commit a crime and land back in jail, said the Women Development Minister. She said the central prisons in Sindh were full of such female inmates who faced multiple imprisonments after the recurrence of crime.
She said the Sindh government would build the special hostels to help former female prison inmates gain economic self-reliance to live their lives freely and honourably with no chance that they would again commit a crime due to their vulnerability. She informed the audience that the next provincial budget would contain the financial allocations for building such hostels.
The Women Development Minister said the Sindh government would fully assist the drive of the female prison inmates to acquire formal education and professional skills to become properly learned and skilled members of society after their release. She said the provincial government would also provide proper schooling facilities to children who stayed with their imprisoned mothers at the jail. She said the provincial government would fully welcome support from bona fide non-profits and charities in this regard.
DIG Women Prison, Sheeba Shah, told the audience at the reception that certificate courses based on 10 different vocational skills were offered to female jail inmates to help them join lucrative professional fields after their release from the prison. She said the certificates issued by the National Vocational & Technical Training Commission and Sindh Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority shouldn’t contain any indication that they were given to prison inmates to help them respectfully secure jobs or establish their businesses after they are released from jail.
She said that a Montessori had also been functioning at the women’s section of Central Karachi Prison to provide proper preschooling facilities to minor children who stayed with their imprisoned mothers. She said the women’s prison cell also provided indoor and outdoor sporting facilities to their inmates with proper coaching. The Woman Jail DIG said that an upcoming event at an art gallery adjacent to Liaquat National Memorial Library would feature 200 paintings created by female prison inmates and their children who had acquired proper fine arts education. She said the proceeds from the special art show would be duly paid to the creators of these paintings.
Renowned fitness trainer Yogi Wajahat, who brought toys for minor children who lived in jail with their imprisoned mothers under his Khilona Foundation, offered the services of female yoga instructors for the well-being of female prison inmates.
NFEH President Naeem Qureshi appreciated that the Prison Department, in partnership with the Sindh government and committed NGOs, had been striving hard to transform central prisons in the province into correctional facilities with skill and education facilities for the prisoners.
NFEH Secretary General Ruqiya Naeem said that her NGO would soon conduct a breast cancer awareness session for female prison inmates and other events aimed at safeguarding their health and that of their children. NFEH Vice-President Engineer Nadeem Ashraf expressed gratitude to the administration of the women’s prison block for letting its inmates participate in Eid festivities.
The Eid reception’s various components, including Qirat, Naat, the national anthem, poetry recitation, and songs, featured talented female prisoners and their children.
