The Plight of Circumstantial Children in Zambian Prisons

Zambian prisons are among the most congested in the world with space designed for 5,250 inmates at the country’s independence in1964 now standing at slightly over 21,000 inmates in 87 prisons. 2.6% of these are women that end up being divorced when they are jailed. Many more are single, widowed, or had children out of wedlock or through under-age marriages, a common problem in this country. Rural to urban migration among the youth in search of employment and improved livelihoods is also very high in the wake of high unemployment and hard economic times the country is facing. The country also has porous border entry points for illegal immigrants. Some of the women are arrested while single-handedly staying with their children and end up being confined in prison with them as they have no relative to provide custody to such children during the time they will serve their jail sentences or await being deported as immigration detainees. These are referred to as circumstantial children held with their mothers in prisons and are close to two hundred in Zambian jails.