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| National |
| No condoms for prisons — official |
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by
George Ntonya, 15 July 2003
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08:46:56
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Unless homosexuality is legalised in the country, condoms can never be allowed in prisons, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Prisons Tobias Nowa has said.
Nowa was speaking at a recent public debate on prisons organised by Lilongwe Press Club. He denied claims by other speakers at the debate that homosexuality was rampant in Malawi’s prisons.
“Homosexuality is something that has never been reported to [authorities] officially. We hear it from you,” Nowa he maintained.
According to the prisons officer, distribution of condoms to inmates would only encourage homosexuality since prisoners’s spouses or girlfriends are not allowed into prisons to enjoy conjugal rights.
A research sponsored by Penal Reform International three years ago indicated that homosexuality was being practised in the country’s prisons, mostly with young men and juveniles being at the receiving end.
The report said while congestion was one of the factors leading to homosexuality, there were also some prison warders who facilitated it at a fee.
A draft Prisons Bill is expected to be tabled in Parliament which, among other things, proposes some measures aimed at reducing congestion and alleged homosexuality in prisons.
There are 23 prisons in the country which are usually congested, resulting in poor ventilation, sanitation and health among inmates.
Nowa asked non-governmental organisations and other well-wishers to help the Malawi Prison Service with equipment for reformation of prisoners so that they become self reliant when they complete their jail terms.
But Charles Kazembe, executive director of Malawi Entrepreneurs Development Institute (Medi), asked the prison authorities to develop project proposals so that well-wishers support specific programmes. He said there is need for diverse training programmes for the prisoners.
“It’s you, officers, who should be aggressive in developing project proposals. Don’t just complain about low government funding,” he said.
United States Agency for International Development (Usaid) financed the debate, one of a series the press club has been conducting on different issues.
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