2023-07-25 04:38:00
Prison is first and foremost a world of men. Of the 11,000 people who are behind bars in Belgian prisons, there are only 500 inmates in the areas reserved for them (4.5% of the prison population). But who are these women? How do they experience detention? What particular problems do they encounter upon leaving?
The voice is free for the inmates of Berkendael
To approach these very little discussed questions, the association I.Care, dedicated to the promotion of health in the prison environment, went to meet the interested parties. Called “Talk to them”, this project supported by the federal gender equality policy aims to document the specific needs of incarcerated women.
More vulnerabilities
For one year, between August 2022 and July 2023, the multidisciplinary team of I.Care present in five prisons (Saint-Gilles, Haren, Mons, Jamioulx and Lantin) gave the floor to 17 women, currently imprisoned or who have been, on their health. Not just injuries, illnesses or disabilities, but their sense of physical, mental and societal well-being. An overall state of health necessarily conditioned by a multitude of economic and social factors.
“The prison system tends to organize detention for men, Belgians, who can read and write, have an income, a social network, etc.”, points out I.Care. As part of its daily activities, the association quickly noticed that certain people behind bars require more attention, because they accumulate more vulnerability factors than other prisoners. Including women.
During the interviews, a variety of topics were discussed: entry into prison, access to care, intimacy, family relationships… This helped to better understand the realities and challenges that are played out in the shadows, away from society, for prisoners.
The little ones can stay with mum in prison
“I was his punching bag”
And rapport was born from these exchanges which highlights the multiple experiences of these women. The association does not want to generalize from these isolated testimonies, but it notes that these stories overlap with the observations made during its daily work in prison.
And one recurring observation stands out: the existence of multiple vulnerabilities in the past of the women encountered. It is not a question of justifying the criminal or tortious facts which might have been committed but of understanding how what they were confronted with might play in their course, insists the association.
Mia’s words illustrate this. “My mother, I was her punching bag. They didn’t teach me to talk to children because they never talked to me. I was hit or insulted. They weren’t talking to me.”
A double identity
Many of these women who one day find themselves incarcerated are not only perpetrators of offenses but also often victims, continues the association. “My only fear is that he will find me, testifies Lina, referring to her release from prison. Even if he has no right to approach me. You never know. And that scares me. I’ll tell you, if I hadn’t gone back to prison, he would have killed us.”
Ten babies are detained with their mothers in nursery cells
These women who grew up in disturbed family environments marked by violence, abuse, neglect or instability often faced additional difficulties such as economic precariousness, housing insecurity, lack of adequate family support, lack of access to educational resources…
One of the graphic portraits made by the artist Doris Michel who collaborated on the “Talk to them” project. ©DORIS MICHEL
It is essential to recognize this double identity and to set up specialized support services for victims in the prison environment, to meet their specific needs, insists I.Care.
Especially since another common trait among several incarcerated women fills the funnel with difficulties: the consumption of narcotics. It is a reflection of other, deeper problems: trauma, mental disorders, social vulnerability… It is very difficult, in this context, to get back on your feet.
“For me, consumption means prison”
Sensitize the authorities
The I.Care report aims to sensitize the authorities and the general public to the invisible realities of the lives of incarcerated women. It highlights the current shortcomings of the prison system and highlights the need for a gender-sensitive approach in prison policies. “These testimonies lead us to think that just as prison should be an opportunity for care for people with multiple vulnerabilities, it should also be an opportunity to help with the (re) construction and the capacity to act for these women”, insists Camille Couette, in charge of the “Talk to them” project.
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