Conjugal rights denied: Grim sentencing

KARACHI:

For Azeem, being intimate with his wife means just gazing lovingly at her from behind a glass window. This is as far as he can go to express his love.

Azeem currently dwells in the Karachi Central Jail, the most populous facility in the province with over 4,000 inmates. Here, men are deprived of their conjugal rights – visits by their spouses, in privacy.

On April 6, 2010, a notification was issued following a Supreme Court order to bestow conjugal rights on prisoners in all provinces. Following this, in May of the same year, Sindh’s home department granted these rights to the convicted. However, implementation of this decision remains a distant dream even three years on.

The family rooms, conjugal rooms or ‘milan’ rooms, were first to be established at the Karachi Central Jail, followed by other central and district jails. Prisoners serving five years and more would benefit, and villas were to be constructed. Wives were allowed to spend a night with their husbands, and children were permitted to stay.



However, nowhere in the province has this been realised so far. “I was framed in a robbery case just five months into my marriage,” said the burly looking Azeem as he spoke into an intercom  microphone. “We had a love marriage but, sadly, I didn’t get much time to spend with her.”

From the other side of the window, his burqa-clad wife says quietly, “I miss him. I see him twice a week, but it’s not enough.”

She continues to live with her in-laws, but feels crippled by loneliness.

What happened to the plans?

Former prison minister Muzaffar Ali Shujrah says there are reasons why the facility was not seen through.

“The plan fell back because of the floods,” he tries to explain. “Our funds and resources were diverted towards rehabilitation of the affected persons. However, I wish that the new minister [will] implement it.”

Kazi Nazeer Ahmed, the central jail superintendent, stresses the significance of such rights.

“Conjugal visits are carried out in prisons in the West and other civilised countries. It is very important for prisoners to maintain ties with their families,” he says.

Ramifications of rights denied

Due to the lack of conjugal rights, frustration runs high amongst inmates. Often, this leads to the formation of homosexual relationships, and not all of it consensual. Unfortunately, sexual abuse of vulnerable prisoners, such as young inmates, is common.

“Young inmates are sexually abused in the jail,” confirms Zia Awan, a lawyer who works for the rights of prisoners. “In fact, prisoners call the place where young and ‘desirable’ men are kept ‘the red light area’ of the jail.”

Inside the overcrowded and congested barracks, prisoners are encouraged to take up arts and crafts, music and computer courses, and indulge in religious studies to take their minds off untoward activities.

For the better?

Surprisingly, many officers feel that it’s a blessing that such rooms have not been constructed.

“Who would have verified the nikah-nama?” one policeman says. “Besides, we have security threats. How can we permit families to stay here?”

The officers are quick to point out that conjugal facilities have been availed by high-profile inmates.

Furthermore, even for commoners, some relief had existed earlier; after providing a certain amount of money, they could meet their loved ones in a separate meeting room known as maari.

Islam Khatoon, a greying woman in her fifties, has been coming to the prison for ten consecutive years.“All this time, I have only gotten one chance to be close to him,” she recalls, tearing up. “He got to embrace his family. I am holding on to that memory.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2013.