The new quarter for women, built at the total cost of 35,000 US dollars through a quick impact project, will enable the separation of men and women prisoners. Presiding over the quarter inauguration ceremony the provincial Justice and Human Rights minister urged the beneficiaries to make proper use of the new facility bearing in mind the interests of future generations.

Uvira, 8 May 2015 – A new unit for female detainees has just been inaugurated at the Central Prison of Uvira in South Kivu province. It was built by the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) as part of its Quick Impact Projects initiative.

When this prison was first built by Belgian colonial administration in 1948 there was a unit reserved for men and inside it was a separate unit for women. But with the decay of these facilities over time, there developed permeability which left women exposed to all sorts of abuse, including sexual assaults such as rape and harassment. .

Promoting the principle of separation between male and female inmates’ premises as required by international standards is part of the support being providing by the Justice Support Section of MONUSCO in the framework of the reform of the prison system.

It is in that context that the Justice Support section initiated this project which cost a total of 35,000 UD dollars, including 800 dollars from the local community.

With this project, MONUSCO seeks to contribute to improving not only the detention conditions of female inmates but also their protection against sexual violence. It aims also to facilitate the social reintegration of women prisoners, as the second phase of the project will include training these women in cutting and sewing garments, and later, involve them in sewing uniforms for prisoners.

Carried out by the Catholic Chaplaincy of the Uvira Diocese, the construction work on the women inmates’ living quarter took six months to complete due not only to weather conditions but also the scarcity of some construction materials on the local market.

The project involved the construction of a 27 meter-long, 11 meter-wide building containing two separate wide cells with a total capacity of 40 prisoners. In addition, there is a security booth, a kitchen and a storage room in this building, which also includes two toilets and a washroom per cell. The cells are equipped with beds and mattresses with mosquito nets.

Gisèle Balegamire, provincial minister of Justice and Human Rights, who presided over the inauguration ceremony, thanked MONUSCO for « this support which will enable the Uvira prison to receive women detainees with due respect for their dignity and in accordance with international standards”. He added that in line with the recommendations of the recent National Convention on Justice held in Kinshasa, the provincial Government has committed to put an end to the overcrowding of prisons. The Uvira prison, in particular, is acutely overcrowded. Initially designed with a capacity of 250 prisoners, it currently holds 500 people, including 8 babies!

It should be noted that to boost the security of the Uvira prison, MONUSCO has undertaken the construction of a wall fence separating the prison from neighboring houses.

The ceremony ended with a MONUSCO donation of 500 mattresses to the inmates.

Jean-Tobie Okala/MONUSCO