The legislative framework for the prison system in Zambia is found in the Zambia Correctional Service Act of 2021 with its functions inter alia, being the establishment, management and control of prisons and the correction and reformation of inmates.
Much of the prison infrastructure in Zambia is old, not well ventilated and lack basic facilities. Furthermore, prisons are overcrowded, housing many more inmates than was envisaged at the time of construction.
In Zambia, women make up a very small percentage (less than 3%) of the total prison population and therefore there has been no drive to construct separate facilities for women. Mukobeko Maximum Security Prison is the only prison which has a separate womens prison, although situated within the same grounds as the main male prison. The creation of separate prisons for females is crucial to ensure their safety and to meet their specific needs.
Mukobeko Maximum Prison is situated in Kabwe, Central Province and was built in 1950 with a holding capacity of 400 inmates. According to researchers, the prison currently holds 5 times that number. At the time of the visit, the women’s prison had a total of 113 prisoners with 11 on death row and there were 5 children, all under the age of three.
International human rights law provides standards for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms relating to detention and imprisonment and these standards form the basis to legal guarantees at the national level. As an NGO whose mandate is the upliftment and empowerment of those in vulnerable situations, Gracious Hands visited the Womens Prison on 17 November 2022, to conduct a fact-finding reconnaissance, to identify the needs of the female prisoners and ascertain possible areas of engagement and collaboration which would support to ameliorate the situation of female inmates.
Gracious Hands teamed up with a local group in Kabwe to visit Mukobeko Maximum Womens Prison. The team was welcomed by the Officer in Charge and addressed the prisoners, giving them a brief background of the organization, its objectives and how the visit was intended to establish how GH could work with prison authorities to improve the well-being of female inmates. GH Team also toured the tailoring shop, which has 9 machines but only two were working at the time. The women displayed their handicrafts to the team and shared how they were able to raise money for small items from the tuck-shop or would be paid to them upon their release. The GH Team donated items for the female inmates, which included toiletries, sugar, bread, salt, sanitary pads and baby clothes. The GH team noted that the prison has no covered shelter, where inmates can sit during organized talks or meetings. During the meeting with GH, the inmates sat in the sun.
Commenti