The Sunday News
Walter Mswazie in Masvingo
TENDAI Mhare (33)* was sentenced to nine years in prison when she connived with her boyfriend in raping her sister’s eight-year-old daughter. She joins 12 other female inmates at Mutimurefu Prison, 25km outside Masvingo along Mutare Road.
The 12 female inmates are serving lengthy jail terms between nine and 24 years. Among them, five are breastfeeding. Their children are between three months and one year. Apart from the fact that the prison cells at the correctional service centre are not designed for females, there are no special facilities for children, let alone their food.
They are forced to share the scarce resources provided by the correctional centre, a situation that has resulted in dietary diseases for mothers and their children as they don’t have a balanced diet. The burden of looking for sanitary pads is left to their relatives who sometimes forget about them. Tendai has only served two weeks of her twelve-year sentence and does not foresee any change of conditions in prison, neither does she have hope of coming out alive.
“I have been here with my child for less than two weeks and there has not been any relative to visit me. I think I have been neglected. My boyfriend is also here at the male cells. No-one has visited him since our incarceration too. The conditions are difficult. There is nothing one can do but to cope with what is there otherwise you can die of stress,” she said.
Tendai has a heart problem while her daughter suffers from seizures which attack her anytime. She said they have no access to sanitary wear and for three to five days every month all female inmates endure difficult and degrading menstrual periods with no pads.
She said the prison cell whose capacity was three people was shared by six inmates, usually produces a strong pungent smell as they sometimes use edges of blankets to clear menstrual blood. Nonetheless, Officer Commanding Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) in Masvingo Senior Assistant Commissioner Social Ndanga said the correctional centres were trying hard to address challenges faced by female inmates.
He said some organisations were assisting female inmates with sanitary pads but they were not adequate, as sometimes they spend two months without any supply.
“The challenge with our female inmates across the province is insurmountable. This is largely due to the scarcity of resources to meet their needs. Mutimurefu and other correctional centres in Masvingo do not have specific facilities for female inmates, hence we improvise most of the things.
“We sometimes have organisations that help us with sanitary wear but such offers are not enjoyed every time. These are well-wishers and you cannot demand when they decide to stop providing those services to us. We also have challenges of female inmates who have children, as the centre cannot cater for children separately. The children are left with their mothers in prison cells and you can imagine the environment they are exposed to,” he said.
Voluntary Organisation Worldwide (VOW) coordinator Mrs Teclar Ponde said her organisation was providing such necessities to all special groups in Masvingo and prison inmates would benefit once the programme commenced.
“We are starting a programme of supplying specific essentials for special groups such as girls, and female prison inmates will also benefit. The programme has not yet started but I hope Mutimurefu and other correctional centres will benefit,” said Mrs Ponde
She said the plight of female inmates was unique in that they needed more appropriate facilities than their male counterparts.
“In some cases, you will hear of sexual abuse reports but I am not referring to Mutimurefu Prison. As opposed to male prison inmates, females may need antenatal care, as others get incarcerated when they are pregnant. It will mean that the same individual will also need postnatal care after she has given birth. Others will experience complications and although they are allowed to go to the hospital like any other woman, their situation may differ because they will be having restricted freedom,” she said.
According to criminologists, the prison system is ill-equipped to deal with unique problems facing female prison inmates. The dilemma may even continue after one is released as the courage to face society may be not enough and ultimately issues of suicide will take centre stage.
The separation from children may worry the female prison inmate. The inmate may not find coping mechanisms when serving her sentence unless she receives counselling. As if that is not enough female inmates may face difficulties in maintaining or mending relationships with their children as the thought of exposing relatives to shame may keep recurring. Children may be traumatised by the arrest and sudden imprisonment of their mother. Emotional reactions such as anger, anxiety, depression and aggression have been found in the children of incarcerated mothers.
Another stressful scenario is where an incarcerated mother loses contact with her children, as the offspring may find it hard to visit them in jail. A human rights lawyer, Ms Lucy Chivasa said prisons should have policies on the welfare of incarcerated women and their children so that human dignity was retained even when a person was under strict environment where some rights were limited or not observed at all.
“As a matter of compliance with international best practice, prison life should not be akin to hell. We are happy that in Zimbabwe, inmates are taken through effective rehabilitation, reformation and reintegration activities in preparation for life after prison. This has helped many as I know of ex-female convicts who are now pastors, tailors and businesswomen of worth, courtesy of prison life. During their serving time, they were exposed to a number of trainings and had the opportunity to mingle with the outside world. If they are specific policies that nurture incarcerated female inmates and equip them with hands-on skills, the better. We even want to have more of these where children of the imprisoned women are taken to homes where they do not mix with offenders in jail,” said Ms Chivasa.
A South Africa-based psychologist, Dr Munyaradzi Chidarikire said some female inmates especially those that abuse drugs would exhibit mental disorders once they were in jail and they should be treated of such.
“There are possibilities that incarcerated women, due to their history of substance abuse may suffer mental disorders. This may make countenance difficult during or after incarceration thereby ostracising the victim. Instead of making efforts to help the affected female prison inmate, prison officers or even the society can make it worse,” said Dr Chidarikire.
Mutimurefu Prison and Correctional Service Chaplin, Pastor Christine Phiri said women prisoners, like any other inmates, were provided with pastoral counselling with others having joined gospel choirs.
