MAPUTO, Mozambique
The commission set up to investigate sexual exploitation in a women’s prison in Maputo has concluded that there was sexual abuse of inmates by prison guards and “external people”, but the cases occurred inside the prison.
In the final
report, presented on Wednesday at a press conference in Maputo, the commission
said it had found no evidence of the alleged network of sexual exploitation
denounced by the NGO Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), in which prison guards
force women inmates to leave the prison to engage in prostitution, but found
cases of prison staff taking advantage of the vulnerable condition of inmates,
who are sexually abused.
“On balance,
the events [found by the psychologists] are characterised and classified in the
form of sexual abuse in the prison system. Sexual abuse in prison happened in
various forms,” said Elisa Samuel, the commission’s rapporteur, when reading
the conclusions of the work.
According to
the report, sexual abuse in prison was carried out by prison guards and by
“external persons”, who entered the prison at parties promoted on weekends or
holidays, with the complacency of senior prison officials.
“In other
cases, officers demanded sex in exchange for food, drugs or promises of
privileged treatment,” the commission’s rapporteur added.
The report
added that inmates reported several cases in which they were forced to have
abortions after relations with prison guards, some of which the commission
described as “apparently consensual” although based on threats.
“The
majority of inmates became pregnant more than once and were forced to have
abortions, resorting to the services of nurses assigned to the prison,” reports
the document, which suggests a specific legal instrument to penalise guards who
engage with inmates.
The
commission also suggests a reflection on the condition of women prisoners in
Mozambique, warning that there may be similar cases in other prisons.
“The results
of this investigation may not capture the scale of the problem, imposing the
need to continue to investigate,” Samuel said, considering that the Centre for
Public Integrity’s complaint has “gaps and shortcomings,” but it is important
because it raises the debate on the situation of women prisoners in the
country.
The report
on the alleged network for sexual exploitation produced by the CIP indicated
that women were forced to leave prison to become prostitutes, in a “lucrative
business” and in which the prisoners were treated “as merchandise with a
price”, only within the reach of people with some means in Maputo.
When reading
the report of the commission of enquiry, led by the Ministry of Justice, the
rapporteur said that during the investigations no evidence was found to show
that inmates were forced to leave prison for prostitution, reiterating that it
was found that there were cases of sexual exploitation, by prison guards and
external agents, but all inside the establishment.
To carry out
its work, the commission of enquiry conducted 53 interviews with inmates, met
with the complainants, the CIP, and members of the suspended management.
The Special
Penitentiary Establishment for Women in Maputo houses a total of 96 inmates,
distributed over eight cells, with capacity for 20 people each.
The case
raised the indignation of various sectors of Mozambican society, and a criminal
complaint against the management of the prison was submitted to the Attorney
General’s Office by 17 women’s rights organisations.
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