Prisoners’ Wives

As it has been provided before, marriage means the voluntary union of a man and a woman intending to last for their joint life. When they have celebrated a marriage, can notes that they intended to live together in their family for their entire life.Micheal Kirby has provided that:

“Women often are the most victim group in any country. The sexist bias of the bench and the bar has historically prevented women from receiving equal justice. Increasing number of women’s groups have however, forced some courts in Asia to rethink important issues. Through it was recognized that Courts have a long way to go in redressing the grievances of women in the economic, social and cultural spheres, new changes of altitude are welcome as an important beginning for judicial activisms vs. a women’s rights. The position of women under the system of customary law, which is often an integral part of ethnic groups to maintain their traditional system of family relations, which in large number of cases discriminate women in their homes and society.’’8

Women are victimized group, they are required to be protected and also provided with all basic requirements be by their husbands. When the bread is jailed, leaves the wife and children under a very difficult financial situation. The financial capacity collapses after using all her meager resources to save the husband while in jail. The children are abandoned, and sometimes they find it difficult to go to school and fall victims of lawlessness in their struggle for survival. The wife falls a victim of promiscuity, she becomes harlots.          

This is because no government ever thought of a CLEAR POLICY OF HELPING FAMILIES HIT BY THE CALAMITY OF MISSING THE BREAD GIVER WHO IS JAILED.

The wife, children and dependants are forced to become promiscuous or drug abusers and pushers in attempt to earn their living. These people, the wives and the abandoned children fall victims of sexually diseases including HIV/AIDS. They essentially transmit HIV/AIDS in the society has to take care of their lives.

4.0 Jails Break –Up Marriages

When the Husband is jailed, especially long jail term, the wife sometimes cannot endure the state of loneliness. Because she is also a human being, she finally finds herself unable to remain faithful to her wedlock and succumbs men to take advantage of the situation and dismantle the wedlock.

Example I

Here, we have a live example of Neema Mdengo women from Kigwe Morogoro.

    Neema’s s husband,Erasto Onewmo was in 1997,living Neema with a 3 years and a

    Pregnancy of 9 months. After they care about the Husband who is sick at Muhimbili?

    Bed chained, with a police guarding him?IPRO needs

5.0 Conclusion

It is important to understand as Michael Kirby understands when he provided that:                       The human rights of women and of the girl-child are an inalienable,intedral and                      indispensable part of universal human rights. The full and equal participation of                   women in political,civil,economic,social and cultural life, at the national, regional                     and international of all forms of discrimination on grounds of sex and gender are              the priority objectives of international delivery of that child, Neema’s in – laws                  and the family saw her as a bad wife of a prisoner and some even insulted her.

Neema fled to town, selling Mama N’tilie in slums which were later stormed down by the government. Neema had no home go to. She helplessly turned to men who volunteered to help take care of her and the 2 abandoned children. She had a child with the first volunteer who later also abandoned the children, and the number of the abandoned children increased to 3.Neema had to find another volunteer, a man who could take care of her 3 children and herself.

Eventually she got a man who again disappeared after giving birth to 2 more children, making a total of 5 children of abandoned fathers, leaving the task of taking care of the children to Neema, a young woman of 26 years. Neema now is in the streets with all her 5 children, narrating her sad misfortunes to every passer, asking for money, food and shelter.

The sad thing about Neema is her husband, the first husband who was jailed is now seriously sick-admitted at Muhimbili Referral Hospital, and he is now a victim of HIV/AIDS.’

Neema’s first born passed his standard 7 examination and was selected to join secondary education. The question is:- Who will pay for the boys school fees,  uniform and books? The father is jailed and is dying ,the mother is helpless, and the society..?The Government …? Do they care about Neema or her children? Do Non – government organizations and interested individuals collaratively engage in this venture that has positive changes and benefits for women without discrimination.               

The government however, should assist children and women to an extent of not imposing the long sentences to the husbands and fathers of wives and children as they can be able to join their families and providing basic requirements. This will be also possible if courts of law make use of parole system where by some of the long terms prisoners become eligible to be released after fulfilling the laid down conditions to serve part of their sentences outside prison.10 The court can also make use of the Community Services Programmes.Whereby some of the convicts whose Sentences does not exceed 3 years will be committed to work in the community.11

Love thy enemy!

     Long live IPRO,

         Long live Tanzania’s President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete.

   Long live Dr.Alexander Mwingira,

                  Long live all the WOMEN in the World.