Wives of prisoners demand support as they suffer ostracism

Wives of prisoners serving time in the Kingdom’s jails are demanding protection from the harsh attitudes of society due to the stigma attached to the head of family being behind bars.
They said that they were being ostracized by society at a crucial time and demanded special attention for their children’s education to help them grow into responsible citizens.
Social scientists participating in the activities of the Third Gulf Inmates Week ,organized by the Prisons Administration of the Makkah Province in Jeddah recently, supported the demand of the families to receive support and be protected from social contempt and neglect.
They said that the women and children of inmates are also citizens of the country and had equal rights to education and other programs.
Umm Jaber, wife of an inmate with children said she was finding it hard to make ends meet after her husband was thrown into prison having been convicted in a criminal case five years ago. She said that the company which he used to work for before his conviction sacked him without making any payment leaving his family in dire straits. Umm Jaber wished she could get some government assistance to enable her children to grow into good citizens.
Umm Sami, wife of another inmate, also wished for some sort of steady financial assistance to pull her through, saying that society viewed her and her children as outlaws and refused any kind of assistance.
Psychologist Amani Al-Jahdali underscored the significance of supporting families of prisoners. “When a man is forced to spend a considerable part of his life in jail, his wife has to bear the family responsibility along with the trauma of her husband being a convict,” she said.
Amani stressed that the community should come forward and take responsibility for bringing up the children of a prisoner. “Several studies confirm the need to educate and shape a child’s personality during the first five years,” she said.
She said that it was important for society to double its efforts to protect the families of prisoners until the convicts are released from jail in order to help the children form a healthy social outlook.
She added that any citizen who has had the misfortune of being an inmate must have the right to rebuild his life after the completion of his jail time and be accepted in society.
Another psychologist Zahir Al-Hokair also stressed the need to grant moral, psychological and financial support to the prisoners’ families.