HERAT - Women activists in Afghanistan’s Herat province voiced their concern last week about safety of women released from prisons.

During their visit to a prison in Herat city, the activists said the Afghan society was reluctant to accept the women who are released after completing their prison sentences, and the Government should run “essential placement programmes” for them in order to protect them from violence.

“Your future and how you will be accepted by this patriarchal society is a great concern for me,” Maria Bashir, the chief prosecutor of Herat, told the prisoners. The Herat facility has 100 women prisoners.

The Human Rights Unit of UNAMA organized the visit as part of the ongoing 16 days of activism against Violence against Women (VAW). Theatre artists also entertained the inmates with their performance.

Children living behind the bars with their mothers also presented some songs.

Speaking at the event, General Shah Mir Amirpor, the head of the prison facility, expressed that awareness programmes were needed in the Afghan society to make the people understand about women’s rights.

Mr. Amirpoor said that the Herat prison had changed into like a vocational and sports training centre that would allow the women to shape a career of their interest, and it would also help them find jobs when released.

By UNAMA Herat