Female Herat prisoners upbeat about post-jail life

HERAT CITY (Pajhwok): Female prisoners, who underwent different vocational trainings at the female prison in western Herat province, say they will be able to fulfill their economic needs after their releases.

Nafas, who has spent five years in the jail, told Pajhwok Afghan News she had learnt tailoring during her jail term and was currently busy on embroidery.

She called the jail a good place for learning and said: “If we decide, we can learn many skills in the jail and I learnt tailoring, now I am busy embroidering clothes.”

Sharifa, another female prisoner, said some female inmates after their release were rejected by their families. But the rejected females could independently live and meet their needs and support children by using their skills they learned in the jail, she said.

Most of the inmates opted for learning carpet weaving, embroidery, tailoring and other similar skills, she said.

Meanwhile, Herat jail officials said various learning opportunities had been made available to prisoners inside the jail.

Abdullah Azizi, provincial detention centers’ general director, said many facilities had been provided to the inmates, particularly to female prisoners.

He said the inmates could receive education and learn vocational skills such as carpet weaving, embroidery, tailoring and others.

Azizi said 175 female inmates were held at the jail’s female section. Currently a total of 2,600 prisoners, including women, are imprisoned at the facility.

After Kabul, the women’s prison in Herat is the second largest on national level.

mds/ma

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