Women released from prisons are concerned they cannot find permanent jobs and integrate into society. Such situation may lead them to committing repeated crimes, experts say.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel!
According to the Main Directorate for the Execution of the Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan, 670 women served their sentences in the correctional facilities over the past five years (2015-2019). Almost half of them were granted amnesty over these years. This is not a big number for a country with a ten-million population. However, the difficulties of these women’s lives are typical for all women.
Hosiyat: “My Life Is Disappointing, but at Least My Children Should Live Happily”
Hosiyat Odinaeva is 46. She used to sell fabrics at the largest Korvon market in Dushanbe. To run her business, she borrowed money from several people, but was unable to return it on time. Once, the goods did not arrive on time and she went bankrupt. Every time creditors came, and she did not have money to pay, Hosiyat signed obligations to return the money with interest. Thus, her debt rose up to $200,000.
The creditors went to court. Hosiyat was convicted and sentenced to nine years of imprisonment.
After serving three years in a women’s prison, Hosiyat was released under the amnesty law. After it, the woman thought that she could improve her life. However, her life turned out to be different. There is no work, and all attempts to find it fail.
Hosiyat Odinaeva has seven children. When she was imprisoned, the youngest child was 8 months old; her 13-year-old daughter had to take care of the rest of the children, since their father was working in Russia. The daughter never finished her education; she dreamed of enrolling in the medical school.
Hosiyat believes that all her troubles are caused by her ignorance and lack of education.
“I was married immediately after graduating from school. Life forced me to start a business; it was difficult for my husband to earn a living alone and to support us with our seven children. If I had a higher education, I would not be deceived, and I would not face such problems,” bitterly says Hosiyat.
After her release from prison, Hosiyat’s life changed dramatically. A criminal status affects everything: her relationships with friends, neighbours, relatives, and even with her own children.
“Neighbours, friends and relatives became strangers. Although they do not say anything bad about you, they say with their eyes, “You are a thief”. I do not attend any events in the neighbourhood because I am not welcome there. I cannot even talk with my children in full voice. Although they understand me well, I think before speaking to them. There was a situation when I raised my voice speaking to my daughter. In response, she said, “Mom, please do not talk to us like that. When you were in prison, we had only one dream that when our mother would be released from prison, our life would change. We imagined our life differently after your release from prison”. I want all my children to receive higher education so that they do not suffer like me. My life is disappointing, but at least my children should live happily,” she said.
Hosiyat Odinaeva says she wants to find a decent job and provide for her children’s future. However, she has not succeeded so far.
Nargis: “I Want to Become Self-Sufficient and Independent”
Nargis Kurbanova, 39, just like dozens of other women released from prison, is struggling to find work. However, all her efforts fail.
“It is hard for me to find a job. When employers find out that I am an ex-prisoner, they do not hire at all or say they have no vacancies. Everyone makes mistakes, and I made it too. I was punished for my guilt. This does not mean that they should give up on me for the rest of my life. I want to work, I want to live my life and I do not want to be criticized. I want to become self-sufficient and independent. Sometimes, I tell myself how great it would be if there were an organisation or a company in Tajikistan where women released from prison like me would work. Then they could work and live independently. After all, other companies do not hire us,” Nargis said.
In Tajikistan, there were attempts to create such organisations for female ex-prisoners. However, all such attempts, as a rule, fail. These organisations are created either by ex-prisoners themselves, who have no sufficient knowledge, no experience in business, no support, no orders, or by the nongovernmental organisations that function on donor money, therefore, work from one grant until another.
Human rights activists believe that the state should create conditions for their integration into society, since it should be interested in preventing them from committing repeated crimes.
Oynihol Bobonazarova, head of the “Perspectiva+” public organisation, notes that the current situation in the country makes it difficult to find work not only for female ex-prisoners, but also for other people.
Almost all enterprises in the country are private. Employers strive to hire, first, their relatives, and ex-prisoners are not hired anywhere.
“The authorities should take care of this category of women to prevent their return to prisons,” says the human rights activist.
Meanwhile, the Committee for Women and Family Affairs under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan told CABAR.asia that they constantly control women who were granted amnesty or released at the end of their sentences.
Sabohat Mahmadalieva, spokeswoman for the Committee, said that everyone who addresses them receives help: they try to find jobs or help them to receive an education.
“Obviously, not all of our women have even a secondary education. Therefore, together with the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Tajikistan, we enrol them in corresponding courses and provide them with permanent work,” she said.
Mahmadalieva said that since 2006, when the Presidential grant for the development of women’s entrepreneurship was established under the Committee, this department issues grants for women annually, helping them to find job and promote their business. However, unfortunately, women who have served their sentences and were released do not turn to them, the Committee’s representative complained. During this time, only two women, ex-prisoners, addressed the Committee in 2015 and received a Presidential grant to start their own business.
According to the Main Directorate for the Execution of the Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Tajikistan, 670 women served their sentences in the correctional facilities over the past five years (2015-2019).
During five years, 323 of them were released under the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan on Amnesty.
However, according to the observations of journalists and complaints of people released form the country’s correctional facilities, both women and men face great difficulties after their release. The most important problem for them is employment.
According to Shahlo Juraeva, head of “Jahon” public organisation, which also works with female prisoners, the prisoners should be prepared for release and integration into society from the first day of serving their sentence. This organisation together with the management of the women’s prison MI3\8 in Norak city carries out such work in the women’s prison. In this prison, women are trained in such professions as a tailoress, hairdresser, pastry chef, and in computer literacy. However, it is not always possible to monitor these women’s lives after their release.
Shahlo Juraeva told CABAR.asia that there is another human rights organisation in the country – the Bureau of Human Rights and Rule of Law (www.bhr.tj), which has consultation centres throughout Tajikistan for ex-prisoners.
Currently, the Main Directorate for the Execution of the Criminal Sentences of the Ministry of Justice is developing an important document – “2021-2025 vocational training and support program for convicts in correctional facilities and persons released from sentence in 2021-2030”, and the civil society is involved in its creation, she said.
“We hope that the adoption and implementation of this Program will help our women (and men) to find jobs and improve their economic and psychological condition,” said Juraeva.
Recently released Nargiz Kurbonova hopes that she will find a permanent job in the near future and her life will improve.
“I hope that there will be an opportunity to employ women like me. Otherwise, hopelessness and poverty can force them to commit other crimes,” she said.
According to an anonymous source from the Main Directorate for the Execution of the Criminal Sentences, more than half of the amnestied women convicted under articles of theft and fraud, commit repeated crimes and return to prison. The reason for this is the lack of work and social rejection of these women.
“Often, such women are rejected by their relatives, they have nowhere to live, and they have no job. They prefer to return to prison, where, at least, they will have a bed and three meals a day,” the source said.