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Championing the cause of women prisoners
By Esther Williams

How can we help?
During the festive season, groups visit the prisons to provide entertainment, food or gifts. While such activities serve to cheer the inmates, they are short term solutions. Speaking of long term ones, wife of the Commissioner General of Prisons, Florine Marzook, who is actively involved in the welfare of women inmates says, "What society needs to understand is that people in prisons are also human beings. Kept in pathetic conditions, they are frustrated and become worse than when they came in. ”

She said most of the prison cells were in a dilapidated condition and appealed to the public to sponsor or maintain wards or cells as is done in hospitals.

Ms. Marzook said those interested in helping could call 2583684 or 5590002.

Languishing in a prison cell during the best years of their lives seems worse than a death sentence for some. How can they live in any kind of peace, knowing that their husbands may abandon their children leaving them to fend for themselves? What of their rights?

In an attempt to address these issues, the Sri Lanka Women's Conference (SLWC), a consortium of women's associations working for the welfare of women and children, in association with the Legal Aid Foundation of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka organised a workshop for women prisoners on December 17.

The workshop, which covered several areas such as human rights, how to access the law and protect themselves, how the Vagrancy Ordinance operates, etc., was the first in a series of programmes planned for the prisons, explained SLWC President Manel Abeysekera.

Director of the Legal Aid Foundation of the Bar Association, Sumana Benaragama spoke of the various human rights that every person, whatever his/her religion, ethnic group or nationality is entitled to. Those earning less than Rs. 6000 a month, she said, could avail themselves of the free legal aid scheme.

It will come as no surprise that a majority of prisoners in the women's section of the Welikada Prison are there for drug offences. The general provisions for bail, Release of Remand Prisoners' Act, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Opium and Dangerous Drugs Ordinance were explained in simple terms by Attorney-at-Law Sandamali Munasinghe.

Lawyer Hemamali Amarasinghe described the laws relating to violence against women. "Women are being harassed everywhere. It is important for them to know of their rights and the remedies available." They may face similar situations on release, she adds.

"They would not have committed a crime if they had someone to talk to of their problems," said Indra Nilaweera of the Women's Conference. Most people, she says, face issues they cannot discuss with their families. Pointing out the value of counselling and places that offered the service, she urged the women to approach counsellors when they were depressed.

The sessions brought forth tremendous responses from the women prisoners and proved to be enlightening for both sides. There were several amongst them who had served around 19 years. Papers pertaining to their cases were burnt in the fire in the Mount Lavinia courts some time ago. Until their cases are reviewed, they were there to stay.

A few tearfully said they were falsely charged while others spoke of the enormous amounts charged for legal aid. "Where do we get the money for bail?" they asked.

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