IT took one year to convince authorities in Zimbabwe to register the Female Prisoners’ Support Trust, an organisation involved in counselling, rehabilitation and reintegration of female ex-convicts back into society.
Report by Veneranda Langa
But director for the Female Prisoners’ Support Trust Rita Nyamupinga said lack of funding did not deter her from pursuing her goal — to help females who were released from prisons after serving terms for committing different crimes and were to face society, which in most cases stigmatised them.
With the help of board members comprising Jennifer Muderedzi (chairperson), Farai Hondonga (secretary), Wilson Jula-Julah Billiat (legal advisor), and committee members — Netsai Mushonga, Charles Bandera, Yeukai Paradzai — as well as other professional staff like counsellors and office personnel, the Female Prisoners’ Support Trust was formed in 2011.
“We formed the organisation with the objective of assisting female convicts in prisons, especially those due for release, because they were most likely to face stigmatisation and discrimination by society due to the nature of crimes they had committed,” Nyamupinga said.
“The assistance that we offer them is counselling of the prisoner and the family, as well as the community to facilitate their acceptance by their families,” she said.
She added this was imperative because usually crime was associated with men and if women committed crimes, they were viewed as very bad. “In my interaction with most of these women, I find that they were perpetrators of gender-based violence, while others were involved in crimes such as theft, shoplifting, baby dumping, fraud and even murder. As a result, reintegration and rehabilitation are some of the key areas essential to female prisoners.”
According to Nyamupinga, peace building and restorative justice projects were essential for prisoners because offenders and the offended should be able to speak to each other after the prisoner had served their terms.
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“We have helped about 20 women since we started operating in 2012 and have endeavoured to enhance the skills that they had already acquired through rehabilitation programmes in jails.
“Some of these skills include arts and crafts, gardening, poultry, hairdressing and pre-school teaching, among others. As an organisation, we assist them to identify and penetrate markets where they can sell their wares,” she said.
However, she added that the main task was to rehabilitate them since they were usually discriminated against.
“People view prison environments as full of lice and dirt and it becomes difficult for them to take back an ex-convict to their house. Some of the women find their husbands do not want to accept them back after release from prisons.”
She said her organisation sourced basic products like soaps, lotions, sanitarywear and other necessities for female prisoners so that they would be presentable in and outside prison.
Counsellors from her organisation visit prisons often and are involved in negotiations between prisoners, their families, communities and even churches, to help them stop viewing them as criminals especially after serving their prison terms.
“Our work is voluntary and we have not yet secured funding. However, a lot of organisations have been supporting us through donations. The board is comprised of people with different expertise and most of our counsellors are voluntary workers.”
Nyamupinga said the job was sensitive as they dealt with some females who committed infanticide or murder and this tended to haunt them for the rest of their lives.
“Some of the female ex-convicts would have attempted to dump their babies and after getting arrested they are taught to love and take care of those children they had dumped. We have cases of such women in prison and they have to breastfeed and care for those children they had dumped.”
Speaking of prison conditions, Nyamupinga said they had improved significantly compared to previous years.
“Chikurubi Maximum Prison was our first port of call, but we are now working with all prisons in Zimbabwe. The government has also done a lot to help rehabilitate these women and after such programmes they say they are likely never to commit crimes again.”
She said female ex-convicts needed a second chance in society because their attitude towards crime would have changed completely.
