By Smile Hamilton Malawi
The Centre for Human Rights Education and Advice (CHREA) has called on authorities in Malawi to consider introducing conjugal rights for prisoners, saying the move would help protect marriages and reduce social challenges affecting inmates’ families.
CHREA Executive Director, Victor Mhango, said prisoners should be allowed to meet their spouses or partners in private rooms during prison visits, arguing that denying them such opportunities negatively affects family relationships.
Speaking with African Culture Tv, Mhango said many husbands and wives of prisoners continue to face emotional and sexual challenges during long periods of separation, a situation he says often leads to broken marriages and unfaithfulness.
“People whose husbands or wives are in prison still have sexual needs, and some end up finding other sexual partners, which increases the spread of diseases,” said Mhango.
He further said Malawi can learn from other countries that have already introduced conjugal visit systems in prisons as part of protecting human rights and promoting family unity among inmates.
Meanwhile, Malawi Prison Service spokesperson, Steven Meke, said prisoners are currently not allowed to engage in sexual relations while in custody because such practices are not recognised under Malawi’s laws.
Meke explained that prison authorities operate according to existing legal frameworks, adding that any changes on the matter would require legal and policy reforms by the government and relevant stakeholders.
The debate has since sparked mixed reactions among Malawians, with some supporting the proposal as a human rights issue while others argue that prisons are meant for punishment and rehabilitation, not f
amily privileges.
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