Barring the Lesser Sex: A Light on the Experience of Pakistani Women in Jails

By: Yusra Jabeen SMU Junior

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Pakistan 2011 Report, Female Behind Bars Situation and Needs Assessment in Female Prisons and Barracks, claims that women make up a very small proportion of the prison population in Pakistan [but] they are faced with much greater challenges than men in accessing healthcare. At another occasion, it states, Of the 359 women prisoners who were interviewed, an astounding 59 percent of the women were reported to be under trial. Their ordeal of the cycle of incarceration is the direct effect of the flawed social justice system and poverty these women live in. It is also a cause for them to end up in jail. They neither have access to healthcare from inside the jail nor do they have a family support system from the outside to get better. They are stigmatized, disempowered and considered guilty until proven innocent in their local community. They suffer from drug addiction, sexual abuse, mental health problems such as depression, and physical health problems. The UNODC, taking notice of that, also said, these most-at-risk marginalized populations are often subject to discrimination and violations of their human rights. Only few have access to treatment and care services. As the cycle of incarceration with its inhumane conditions continues, the struggle for rehabilitation and amnesty for women in Pakistani prison thrives. Pakistan is a country located in South Asia with a population of about 180 million, and of those 180 million, the estimated incidence of mental disorders is about 34 percent (Mirza and R ). In Pakistan, it has been observed that depression is generally more common in women than it is in men (Khan et. al.). Therefore, finding the condition of depression among female prisoners should not be surprising, as one in seven prisoners have been found to be suffering from some type of mental or psychiatric disorder (Danish and Fazel 545). A study conducted on the Incidence of Depression by Khan et. al, among prisoners in

the city of Peshawar Pakistan says, out of the 64 prisoners [that were interviewed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)], 59.4 percent were found to be suffering from depression. Since the UNODC reported that 68 percent of the 359 prisoners who were interviewed were married with children and the median age reported for female prisoners was 32 years across all prisons, it is safe to say that middle-aged (31-40 years), married women with a low socio-economic status were found to be at a higher risk of depression(Khan et al.). Some of these women are also traumatized because they have been separated from their children and do not want to keep their children of up to the age of 6 years with them in the jail as allowed by the law. Furthermore, more than half of these women interviewed by UNODC were found to be illiterate, which is also a contributing factor to their condition, as these women are not aware that they are suffering from mental health problems such as depression, stress, mental illness, attention-seeking behavior, sleep disorder and generalized anxiety to be able to ask for treatment in the first place. It is also true that these conditions are considered normal phenomenon in many Pakistani families, which causes depression [to be a] common [mental health condition] among urbandwelling (60.5 percent) and low-income (64.4 percent) prisoners(Khan et. al). Other than the demographic factor causing depression, researchers claim that there is a possibility [for] a [hostile] prison environment andsupply of [poor] heath care services to the prisoners [can serve as] one of the essential factors[contributing to] the incidence of depression among women prisoners in Pakistan.