Incarcerated women encouraged to ‘press for personal progress’ on IWD 2018

March 8, 2018

DPI, GUYANA, Thursday, March 8, 2018

New Amsterdam’s women prisoners were charged to transform their lives as the world observes International Women’s Day 2018.

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, today, delivered a moving message of encouragement to the female inmates during a programme hosted in collaboration with the Guyana Prisons Service (GPS) in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Minister Broomes presenting a token of appreciation to an inmate.

The women were celebrated through skits, songs and of tokens of appreciation.

“I want to make the point, do not allow the situation that was already bad and gone wrong, that get you in here, to destroy you or to get the worst out of you,” Minister Broomes told the women.

She encouraged them to, “Join with me. We have to start a transformation right now, right here.” The Minister reminded that they must fight to ensure that they are not repeat-offenders and work together to prevent other women from ending up in jail. The minister’s message moved many of the women to tears. They were also encouraged to work with prison officers so that their transformation can be a holistic one.

Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, encouraged the women to take advantage of opportunities available to them during their imprisonment.

“Even as you are incarcerated at this time we have a responsibility to ensure that you feel a sense of worth; that you can understand your value and that we can contribute to making you an even better individual so that when you leave this institution you’re better prepared to contribute to yourselves, to your family, to your community and to this nation as a whole”, Samuels stated.

International Women’s Day 2018 is being observed under the theme ‘Time is Now: Rural and Urban Activists Transforming Women’s Lives’.