AS's Story
AS mother of 3, Mk 5 years old, HZ 3 and IB 2 years old, living with her 2nd husband, was arrested for Kidnapping for ransom in Karachi. She was imprisoned for 25 years; meanwhile her kids were abandoned by the stepfather and were shifted in the prison with AS. The children living in the jail with the mothers were facing emotional instability and were under severe depression due to the environment they were living in. the behavioral misconduct and the abusive behaviors of their mothers was destroying their personalities.
The VORPP team identified the children of AS for the rehabilitation. By doing an initial assessment of children’s needs with the collaboration of volunteer psychologists on the panel, the plan was initiated to provide emotional and personal support to the children.
The first step was to get authorized permission from the Jail Superintendent and Inspector General to take the children for recreational activities outside the jail every weekend. After creating a relationship of confidence and trust with the children and their mother the second request was made to get parents permission for admitting the children in a proper school system outside the jail. Meanwhile, the emotional and personal support program was run with the mothers sentenced in the jail, for their productive behavior inside the vicinity and their relationship with their children.
In collaboration with Legal Aid Ngo in Karachi the legal documentations along with permissions were formulated and submitted for approvals. VORPP team then conducted one on one meeting with different educational systems working as Non-profit to help the children receive proper education and start their lives in a normal way. With the help of The Citizens Foundation the children were admitted in one of their schools located in Saddar area Karachi.
However, as children were still residing in the jail they were facing disruptive behavior and emotional instability that was causing hurdles in their studies and conduct in the school. Continued visits were made to help educate AS about the learning development of the children at the jail premises by assessing parenting skills and helping her to build physical and emotional caring abilities through a range of practical activities.
After few months another evaluation was conducted to analyze the progress. The results showed tremendous changes in the lives of the children as school life made a huge difference in their way of thinking about their future. However, there were still chances of betterment. One of the issues were the jail environment that was dependent on other convicted women and their behaviors towards the kids and their mother and in retaliation kids behavior was disturbing and as the eldest child could not live with her mother due to age constrains in the law, we had to plan for a gradual change. To tackle this issue legal assistance was taken from the collaborating Ngos and with the permission of AS, as a mother, the children were shifted permanently to SOS village, after conducting meeting with the institute authorities and sharing legal and personal family documentations.
The children were admitted in SOS based school and were shifted in one of the family unit where 8-10 kids live in a house within the premises under the supervision of a female warden that is responsible to take care of the children.
VORPP social organizers, to meet the children in person and help them settle in the new environment, made weekly visits. Monthly meet-ups were conducted with their mother in the jail in collaboration with the Jail superintendent.
SD's Story
SD and her husband were arrested for mobile snatching and possession of an illegal weapon.
SD was spotted by VORPP team during one of their regular visits to Women Prison. She was being treated in the prison dispensary and was visibly traumatized and complained of severe pain in her abdomen and nausea. It turned out that she had been in the prison for the last three days and hadn't eaten anything during this time. After some emergency treatment by the dispensary staff, her physical condition improved. The VORPP team decided to interview her and explore the cause of her trauma.
SD and her husband, stricken by poverty, decided to take the law in their hands and sold their jewelry to buy a hand gun. On their first foray into the world of crime, they left their two daughters, aged 5 and 3, with their neighbors, and proceeded to try out their luck. They were both arrested while trying to snatch a mobile phone at gun point.
It also turned out that she had told her neighbors that she would be back in a couple of hours when she left her daughters with them. Three days had passed and she had no clue to her two little daughters' well being or where her husband was kept. Unfortunately, she had no contact numbers for her family or neighbors, nor was she able to explain her home address.
Finding no clues with her, the VORPP team decided to search for her husband. The staff at Central Prison was cooperative and assisted in searching their records for new inmates who fit her husband's description but he was not found there. Then the VORPP team contacted the Landhi Jail where he was eventually located. With the help of the Jail Superintendent at Landhi Prison, we were able to get contact information for his brother.
VORPP contacted SD's brother in law and inquired about the children. Apparently, even after passage of three days, they were still at the neighbor's residence. VORPP requested that the children be picked up from there and dropped at their grandparents' home. After making sure the children were safely lodged with family, VORPP guided SD's brother in law to immediately apply for bail for her.
Within a week of application, SD's bail was approved. Currently SD is undergoing trial along with her husband who is still lodged in Landhi Prison.
MJ's Story
15 year old MJ was arrested on charges of mobile snatching and had been in prison and under trial for six months. He denied the charge and claimed he was a victim of revenge when some boys who he had a fight with lodged an allegedly false FIR against him.
MJ was a daily wages loader at a factory in Karachi prior to his arrest. During the survey conducted by VORPP it was discovered that MJ was not in touch with his family ever since he was lodged in jail. At the time of arrest, he said it was so swift and sudden that he could not inform his family or anyone else of where he was being taken. MJ remained in anguish most of the time and indulged in self mutilation behavior due to stress and depression.
VORPP decided to attempt to trace his family. In an interview, MJ was unable to verbally explain his home address but mentioned two possible leads to reach his family. One was the name of a government organization where his brother worked as an electrician, and the other was the name of a school where his elder sister worked. Unfortunately, despite effort, both leads could not be traced to his family.
We then decided to help him in his under trial case in the court. We referred his case to another organization which focuses on providing free legal aid.
MJ was released in next 15 days. He is now happily reunited with his family and now works at a vegetable farm. He calls every two weeks to update on his good behavior.
DM's Story
DM, a boy aged 17 years, ran away from home and arrived in Karachi to live and work with a distant cousin. The cousin employed him as a helping hand in his roadside vegetable kiosk. In a few months, after some disagreement, DM was thrown out by the relative. Having no money, he had no choice but to start living on the street. Over time, he came in contact with local groups of petty thieves and also began using drugs. With no work, he got into small roadside mugging and mobile snatching to pay for his basic needs as well as his developing drugs habit.
Inevitably, he got arrested one evening trying to pick a bus passenger's pocket. Luckily for him, he was released after serving his brief prison sentence of 3 months in the Juvenile Prison of Karachi. However, within three days he was arrested again on charges of trespassing to steal.
DM was not a hardened criminal. In the jail, he was a loner and craved for his family. Unfortunately, he had lost all contact with his family back home in a town in central Punjab. His only connection with the family was his distant cousin in Karachi who threw him out in the first place. However, in his perceived pride, he did not want to visit his cousin's vegetable shop to contact his family lest he might be considered a "failure" by expressing a desire to go back to his family. Completely cut off from everyone, he did not even know that now his younger brother, aged 14, was working at the vegetable shop he had left.
DM was about to complete his second sentence of two months. A volunteer from VORPP visited his cousin's vegetable shop to get his family's contact information and also found out about his younger brother now working there. The VORPP team contacted DM's family and discussed a reunion. In the meantime, DM went through counseling sessions with the VORPP team. Later, as a first step, his younger brother was brought to visit him. This was the first time DM had seen anyone from his immediate family and was very emotional.
As a result of VORPP counseling and mediation with his family in Punjab, DM had agreed to go back to his native town and start a new life learning the trade of car repairs. His family, who were previously upset believing that he had forsaken them, agreed to wholeheartedly welcome him back in their fold.
DM was released from prison two days before Eid festival in September, 2010. VORPP arranged for his train tickets and saw him off to reunite with the family.