By JOHN MUTHURI
Every second Sunday of May, the world celebrates mothers, motherhood and the critical role they play in society. Mother’s Day has been commemorated in various ways since 1908, with this year’s falling on Sunday, May 12.
BATTERED WOMAN
How about mothers in prison? Female prisoners constitute over 7.4 per cent of an estimated 51,000 inmates in Kenya. Many are not just offenders but mothers and primary caregivers.
With an income earner in Kenya supporting six other people on average, this has far-reaching adverse effects on the social and economic well-being of many households. About 61 per cent of the women in prison have underage children and 58 per cent are the breadwinners.
Women are the primary caregivers and their absence in the family leaves many dependents, especially children, unattended. The lucky ones are left under the care of their ageing grandparents.
The Kenya Prisons Service has allowed children under four years to accompany their mothers to prison, where they are accorded relatively proper care. Although research has also shown that maintaining family bonds can help to ease the trauma on children, the prison experience causes immense psychological damage to them.
