|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home | Presentation | Operations | Support PRSF | Contact us | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
Operations in Africa Some figures about PRSF presence
A few words about PRSF operations
PRSF African volunteers are visiting prisons on a regular basis. Set up in "field teams" (one for each prison), they listen to prisoners, expressing moral and psychological support. These frequent visits are a way to develop reliable relationships and contribute to identify prisoners' claims. PRSF knows precisely prisoners' needs and can look for solutions.
Average daily budget allocated for each prisoner in African countries where PRSF is operating: 15 to 30 eurocents (not only for food !) PRSF has been implementing vegetable gardens near the prisons for a few years. The NGO encloses the land, sets up water supplies, and organizes the laying-out of the garden. Then, these gardens : - provide vegetables that improve immediately prisoners' food and health condition; - keep prisoners busy and pacify relationships in jails; - offer prisoners an agricultural training that will increase their rehabilitation rate when liberated; - strengthen participation and dialogue between prison employees, prisoners' representatives and PRSF volunteers, working in "management committees".
Lack of water and sanitation, almost total lack of medical means (infrastructures, human resources, medicines) and insufficiency of disinfections process make the health situation of African prisons tragic. Overcrowding, promiscuity, and lack of medical check-up when entering the prison make every contagion easier. PRSF "field teams" observe serious psychological problems. Others pathologies like skin, parasitic and digestive diseases are very frequent and weaken prisoners. Fatal diseases such as paludism, tuberculosis and AIDS are worryingly spreading. PRSF teams are working with perseverance in order to provide medicines, organize hospitalizations, lead prevention campaign, contribute to disinfect buildings, and train nursing staff.
When children are imprisoned because other solutions are lacking... When being innocent is meaningless after five years waiting for a trial... When files are dependent from chance because some pieces of information are lost... When prisoners have less than 1m² in a cell... Imprisonment should only be a deprivation of freedom. Any prisoner is entitled to be considered as an human being able to defend him/herself. So as to develop an authentic human rights culture, PRSF is setting up, on a regular basis in each country, training sessions bringing together judges, prison staff and civil society. For instance, on an European Union request, PRSF led in the Ivory Coast a experimental program aiming at reducing overcrowding by liberating prisoners held in custody for a long period.
Rehabilitation programs for ex-prisoners are very rare because survival remains the top priority in African jails. Everyday, PRSF "field teams" are improving rehabilitation opportunities for prisoners by organizing technical workshops (farming, carpentry, ironwork and sewing workshops) and alphabetization.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
