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| Sunday, 26 June 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Welikada Female Prison Ward
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Broken bonds Most female prisoners serving a life-term are permitted to keep their children who are under five years of age, with them. Most of them are victims of their own folly, either driven by poverty or by circumstances beyond their control. Sunday Observer staffer Lakmal Welabada spoke to some of the women prisoners who will have to part with their children sooner or later. by Lakmal Welabada
'Prisoners are human', stands the slogan on the ten to twelve feet high wall around the Welikada Prison, leading to the Female prisoners' ward at the Borella-Narahenpita highway. Visitors wait impatiently until the huge grey gate opens for them to go in and meet the inmates, their wives, mothers, sisters, relatives, friends or neighbours. At present, there are about 500 female inmates in the Welikada prison, of them, 120 are convicts. Welikada is the largest female ward. Anuradhapura, Galle, Negombo, Tangalle, Batticaloa, Badulla and Bogambara maintain smaller female wards, which could accommodate less than a 100 female prisoners. Since 1999, female prisoners have been allowed to keep children, below five years. At present, there are about 30 children residing with their jailed mothers, in the Welikada prison. There are also about nine pregnant women inmates, either serving sentences or awaiting a verdict. Statistics show, that many of them are convicted for dealing with drugs; either trafficking or for retaining a portion of heroin. Many others, are jailed for either killing the husband or husband's paramour. There are a few, who were caught while being engaged in the illegal sex industry, pick-pocketing, terrorism or other illegal activity. Almost, all these women have the same story to tell. Some blame society, while others blame? Prisoner Gnanawathie says "I was the third wife. I heard that he was trying to desert me as well. I fought with him over this. He was drunk and tried to hammer me with a 'ketta' one night. I pushed him, and when he fell off, I quickly picked the weapon and cut him," she says.
Though she didn't intend to kill him, she didn't have anything else to do to defend herself. Taking that fact into consideration, Gnanawathie has been sent to prison, only for six years. "My son is nine years now. He is staying in a Boys' Home. He was with me and when he reached five I had to send him away as he had to go to school. When I met him recently (after three years) he didn't speak a word, but looked at me very sadly. I heard, he is studying well. I have a few more years to serve. Once I go out I want to start some self employment and live with my son," says Gnanawathie who has been named as the most faithful woman prisoner in the Welikada prison, by the staff. Maani (30), a mother of two, is a remand prisoner. She is alleged to have killed her new-born. The third child born to her paramour. Maani who doesn't have any one to depend on, only later she found, that he was a married man. Maani was working as a house maid, when she delivered her baby. "It was 3 O'clock in the morning. I told the lady of the house that I was getting labour pains, but she said she would take me to a hospital after dropping her children to school. I had to deliver the baby at home," she says. Maani says her baby died on the way to hospital. As a result, she was remanded on suspicion. Her 6-year-old daughter is at the Salvation Army and her 4-year-old son is said to be with the father. Maani has been in remand for the past two years and two months not knowing what her future would be. Chandra (36), is a mother of seven from Eheliyagoda. She was pregnant when she was imprisoned. Her daughter is now four-and-half-years-old. Chandra was charged for having drugs in her possession. "I stayed three years in remand and then was sentenced to five years imprisonment. I have two more years to go. My children are with my mother. The eldest child is about 16 years now. I heard that my husband is living with another woman," she smiles through tears, repenting having dealt with drugs. "It was to find money to feed my children," she says. Little Nirosha (5 months) was born to Vijitha who was sentenced to life imprisonment for killing her father's mistress. Vijitha quickly dressed her little baby in a pretty frock when we entered their section. The photographer took a few pictures of her baby responding to her appeal. "Can I get a copy of it?", she asked. Nirosha will be sent to a Home after she reaches five, as there is no one else, to take care of her. The photograph might be the only memory, of her daughter, that Vijitha might have for the rest of her life. The big scar on Vijitha's face was proof of the battering and torture she had undergone by her husband. She continuously kept kissing her baby as if every second was important for the two of them. "We do allow mothers to visit their children once they are sent to Homes. But some Homes are not in favour of it. They argue that it might cause adverse mental effects to the children," explains Kumari Ratnaweera, Chief Jailer, the Godmother of the Female Ward. "Sending a child to a children's Home (once they are five years) is the saddest moment we undergo. Some mothers, accept and willingly give away their children, but some cry a lot and keep on kissing their children. It's heart rending," says Ratnaweera. She also says that some women prisoners repeatedly keep coming to prison and are quite used to prison life. "Once they go back, they tend to do the same offence especially prostitution. Some pregnant women prefer to come into prison for delivery, as everything is attended to by prison officials. They are well versed in legal matters as well. Some deliberately, force prison terms by getting caught for minor offences and spend a good period inside the prison. But we never ill treat them, as we know they do all this out of poverty," she smiles. When talking about Welikada prison, the role played by the Chief Jailer and the Commissioner General, Rumy Marzook, it is the view of many, that there has been tremendous improvement to alleviate the conditions in the prisons as well as for prisoner welfare. The place has been colour-washed and neatly kept. The flower beds on the foot paths are beautiful. Some women prisoners were busy weeding out vegetable beds. The weaving mill which makes the raw cloth of the prisoners, and other linen, and the sewing section with many Juki sewing machines, provide an excellent training and a valid certificate for women prisoners which would help them to find jobs once they go out. In addition, other training for self employment such as housekeeping, hairdressing, cake making and bakery, cookery, woodcraft, ribbon embroidery and many other home crafts including quilting and hand embroidery are taught. Bhartha Natyam, dancing, poetry, music and English are also included in their weekly programmes. Apart from rehabilitation, programmes, such as the Vipassana meditation programme have been conducted for the past two years. A lady doctor pays a visit to the female ward everyday. The newly made hospital for female prisoners is very useful. Dayawathie (52), who suffers from liver deterioration is after a serious operation which replaced her food pipe with an artificial tube. Dayawathie is serving life imprisonment. Her family deserted her when she eloped with her lover, her husband. Her dreams were shattered when he started illtreating her and her children. "I underwent, great suffering to raise my three children. We have even spent nights in railway stations as we didn't have shelter after my husband chased us out. After working hard I managed to collect money and went abroad, boarding my children in a convent," she recalls. Her courageous endeavour was bearing fruit. All three children were happy and doing their studies well. But a sudden provocation shattered their lives, when Dayawathie killed her husband's mistress. "Today, my elder daughter is a graduate. But my second daughter sacrificed her studies and started working in a garment factory to support her siblings. Depression made my son also keep away from studies. But now my daughters are happily married and all three children are working. They come to see me. If I was a little patient and didn't commit that crime I would have been living with my children happily," she sobs. "Law and order is applied to everybody. But when we imprison a mother it definitely affects the children. No one can give a mother's love to a child. A mother's absence could later change an innocent child to become a thief, or murderer. Hence it's the responsibility of society to permit them to lead a good life. Kumari Rathnaweera, Chief Jailer appeals to join their rehabilitation work for female prisoners. Names are fictitious. Incidents are true. |
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