Unhygienic Environment to Children with Incarcerated Mothers in Selected Jails of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

This qualitative study was adopted with the major aim to explore the jail environment confronting the children with incarcerated mothers in selected jails of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan including Peshawar, Timergara, Bannu and Mansehra. Primary data was collected from all 15 incarcerated mothers through in-depth interview. Moreover, five each professional lawyers, members of the jail-staff, representatives of the Child Protection Commission, and eight children with jailed mothers who were able to respond to questions, two female psychologists, two jail-based physicians, and four school teachers assigned to teach the children in jails were also interviewed. Results reflect the Jail environment as perilous for incarcerated mothers and their children. They faced humiliating treatment besides being provided with contaminated water and unhygienic foodstuff, non-availability of basic hygienic facilities, the faulty ventilation in the washrooms causing foul smell in the residential hall even entire cells. Cockroaches, rats, insects, bedbugs, centipedes, and irregular arrangement of disinfecting the toilets and residential places coupled their inconveniences. The study recommends evolving an effective policy and its onward implementation in true spirit by the Government of Pakistan to provide good quality services with main focus on drinking water, adequate sanitation facilities, and trained medical and professional physicians.