Maat participates in the group breakfast party in Qanater prison

25/9/2008

Within the framework of cooperation adopted by the Ministry of Interior and civil society institutions that responded to its call, including the Maat Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Studies and a number of other institutions to attend a group breakfast ceremony for the families of prisoners to participate in the iftar at Al-Qanater Prison for Women, in the presence of the Assistant Minister of Interior for the Prisons Sector, on Tuesday 23/8/2008 This visit comes within the framework of the efforts of the Ministry of the Interior and civil society institutions to reintegrate and rehabilitate prisoners and prisoners back into society, and it is a good step initiated by the Ministry of Interior.

 The center, through its activities, which aims to reintegrate prisoners' families and children back into society, as Maat monitored societal trends towards the families of prisoners through a study issued by the center entitled “Societal Attitudes Toward the Families of Prisoners and Detainees.” The study dealt with social and psychological problems. This study reached a preliminary strategy to confront violence towards the families of prisoners as one of the vulnerable and marginalized groups in Egyptian society through a number of goals that the strategy targets, which are confronting violence, protecting the security and social peace of the prisoners' families, ensuring their rights and enhancing human development efforts. For their families, as well as providing a climate of participation and democracy, and supporting opportunities for innovation and creativity for them, the center was keen in its study to identify policies and plans that could contribute to achieving the goals of the strategy and confronting violence in the Egyptian society. We have also been keen to develop programs and projects for the strategy to support and strengthen them to contribute to the rehabilitation of prisoners to integrate into Society again.

 From inside the prison, the center met with a number of female prisoners, as the center conducted a dialogue with them to find out the reasons for their entry into the prison, the time they spend, how they are treated inside the prison, and what is their perception of life when they go out to society. Will they be involved in it or will they be isolated from it, but many of the prisoners had the desire To integrate again into society, and this necessitates finding an honorable job opportunity that will help them live after their release, away from delinquency and the life they were living in prison. Some prisoners called for activating the role of government aftercare institutions as well as the role of civil society institutions in caring for prisoners and their families.