Context

Under Cambodian law, children are allowed to stay with their mothers in prison until the age of six if alternative care is not available. However, the prison budget for food and personal hygiene items is barely enough for the prisoner herself and with nothing extra if she has a child or children living with her in the prison or if she is pregnant and her child will be born in prison.

In 2003 the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) initiated a project to provide supplementary food and other materials to children and pregnant women living in prisons. They work through partner organizations and the Order of Malta Embassy in Cambodia was the first partner organization to participate in the project. When the Embassy relocated from Phnom Penh to Bangkok in 2007, the Embassy’s role was taken over by CIOMAL.

 

Support for food and other materials for women and children

CIOMAL distributes supplementary food and hygiene materials in two prisons:

• Correctional Centre 2 is the main prison in Cambodia for women and minors and is located at Prey Sar, about 25 kms from Phnom Penh.

• Takmao prison, about 20 kms from Phnom Penh, is one of the oldest in the country.

CIOMAL staff visit both prisons, normally twice a month, to distribute packages which include 20 kgs of rice, 10 cans of fish, 2 kgs of dried fish, 15 multivitamin tablets, 1 bar of soap, 1 carton of shampoo and 1 packet of detergent for washing clothes par prisoner. In addition, the packages for children include cartons of milk according to the age of the child. Whilst we respect the Ministry of Health policy on promoting breast feeding, we include milk in the packages for all children as many nursing mothers are unable to produce sufficient breast milk for their babies.

Project funds can also be used as necessary for the purchase of items such as mosquito nets, clothes or medicines for children and to pay for babies to be delivered in a health facility providing maternity care.

In addition, parties were organised in both prisons for the children living with their mothers and the children of the prison staff on the occasion of Khmer New Year in April. Soft drinks, biscuits, jelly and fruit were provided together with a toy for each child.

The authorities at both prisons are supportive of the project. We have direct access to the people to whom we distribute packages and we can usually talk to them confidentially.

A total of 1756 packages were distributed during the period of March to December 2007. Each month, on average 25 children living with their mothers in prison, 7 pregnant women and 56 women with various medical conditions received packages of supplementary food and materials.
The total annual cost of the project is approximately USD 19’000.