A mother and a progressive leader

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Zeenat Khan from Maryland, USA | Published: December 13, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00

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In June, 2010, I saw the news coverage of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina adopting three girls who were orphaned after their parents had died in the Nimtali inferno. It became apparent that the Prime Minister is a mother first, above everything else. The parents of Runa, Ratna, and Asma were burnt alive as the building where they had lived was engulfed in flames. All the three girls were engaged to be married.
As their new mother, the Prime Minister married them off in her official residence, Ganobhaban. Amidst sadness, on the day of the triple wedding, almost every ritual was performed for the grief-stricken girls. A wedding day, is supposed to be the happiest day of a girl's life. In the future when the girls look back on the day they would be able to reflect that even in the middle of a horrific tragedy, life must go on.
That day the Prime Minister looked very solemn and maternal. Her face showed sadness since those weddings were taking place under grave circumstances. Her generosity of spirit showed in the photographs.
Little over a year ago, I saw a photo of apron-clad PM Sheikh Hasina cooking a birthday dinner for her son in her residence. The meal consisted of all his favourite things. Such emblematic qualities make her stand out as a great mother.
In her photos, the Prime Minister exudes elegance and calmness that grace every Bangladesh newspaper. I pay close attention to her speeches, and her concern for the Bangladeshis is quite evident in everything she does, every decision she makes.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina unfailingly exhibits proper etiquette while conducting her official duties. Whether Sheikh Hasina is being photographed with the other heads of states, standing tall while given a guard of honour, attending banquets, or meeting the poorest people on the globe - she stands out for her composure, her buoyancy and for her progressive thinking.
On November 18, marking Prison Week - 2014, the PM said, "Do not consider jails only as an institution of confinement. It is the duty of the jail authorities to give appropriate training to the jail inmates to help them become correct and responsible citizens of the country."
The penal reform in Bangladesh is not too "behind the age," compared to other countries. The way a lot of the jails and prisons across the world are run "is a disgrace to our civilization and humanity," according to a New York Times report that was published a few decades ago on prison reform.
Since then not a whole lot has changed when rehabilitation of the prisoners is concerned. Punishing and degrading the prisoners seem to be the only goal for the jail authorities. Bangladesh prisons are overcrowded. They live their days in dark filthy cells, under unsanitary conditions. There are not any reintegration programmes in place for the criminals to assimilate within mainstream society when they get out.
In Bangladesh, the Prime Minister herself advocating rehabilitation for the prisoners gives us the latitude to discard the age-old idea that prison system is only punitive, not reformatory.
Not all prisoners are lifers. Many get released after serving time for a few years for lesser crimes. Some get pardoned for good behavior. While in jail they just waste away. They usually get no education, learn no skills, nor job trainings are provided for them.
Without prison reform policies, when they get out; they will probably continue on with their old ways. With no skills to fall back on, in order to survive, committing crimes will seem to be the only option.
I do not condone crime committed by anyone under any circumstances. People everywhere are committing it though, every day. The criminals must be punished for the crimes that land them in prison. At the same time we mustn't forget that they are also human beings.
Punishing and belittling the criminals shouldn't be the only objective for the prison establishments. Along with punishment, the prisoners should get moral and educational training. Only then rehabilitation of prisoners is possible. When freed after decades in prison, instead of harbouring bitterness, they would finally start to feel inclusion with the general population. The feeling of being stripped of the right to live a normal life will be replaced by a desire to live a life with dignity.
I want to add an anecdote here that rehabilitation can actually work. Today I was talking to my daughter about PM Sheikh Hasina's call for prison reform. She was recounting her own personal story when she tutored convicts in Suffolk County Prison, in Massachusetts, USA.
As a student of Harvard University, along with few other Harvard students she had signed up to tutor the inmates as a volunteer for the Phillips Brooke House Association (PBHA) in her sophomore and junior year in college. PBHA is a university's student-run non-profit public service progammme.
Massachusetts, a relatively progressive state along with New York, led the nation in prison reform through education. The states allocate special funds for the prisoners to give them job skills, teach them how to read and write. A lot of the inmates in those jails take the GED (High School equivalent exam) while in prison.
Every Wednesday evening, after a quick dinner in the college dining hall my daughter along with nine other students would wait for the city bus huddled up together, in the bitter cold New England weather.
They would take the bus ride for forty-five minutes. The bus would drop them off at a very rough part of the city of Boston. Then they would have to walk for another twenty minutes to get to the prison gate. Upon entry they were checked and rechecked to make sure that they were not carrying any banned items with them. That process took a long time.
After that they would be led in a room where the prisoners would be brought in, while the armed guards stood watch. The students' main goal was to give the inmates some perspective that education can change a person's life. They wanted to instill in them that by altering their way of thinking, they can do fulfilling things in life, when they are out.
My daughter confided in me that it was very hard for her to convince an adult prisoner that there is life after prison. With young prisoners who were about her age she could renew their confidence that indeed an education will break the cycle of violence. She and the other students were able to assure the inmates that with education and right set of skills, they could become productive citizens.
My daughter also stated that about two years ago she was in the subway station in Boston waiting for her commuter train. Suddenly she had heard someone calling her by her name from behind. When the caller approached her, she recognized him as one of her students from the jail, where she had tutored a few years ago.
The guy then informed her that he was working as a chef in a restaurant, and was earning a decent living. That news made her ecstatic. According to my daughter, prison tutoring was the most "meaningful work" that she had done in her college life.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's prison reform policies should be implemented and strictly enforced. The prison authorities in Bangladesh should adopt a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for the inmates. Prime Minister's call to make the prisoners "responsible citizens of the country," is one huge step in the right direction.  
The writer is currently working on her non-fiction book to be published in 2016.
Email: zeenat.khan1983@gmail.com