Celebrating Mother ’ s Day while building their freedom
Like many mothers around the world , Paulina was thinking of her children on Mother ’ s Day . Proudly pointing to her books and notes , she described what she planned to do soon with all the knowledge she had gained : “ When I come out , I am going to teach my children ; we are going to build our house , and we will save the cost of labour .”
Paulina is one of the women taking part in the innovative project
Building Freedom , supported by the
Prisoner Rehabilitation component of UNODC ’ s
Global Programme for the Implementation of the Doha Declaration . Implemented in two prisons in La Paz , the project aims at encouraging women to learn trades which will increase their self-sufficiency and take them away from traditionally female-dominated , low paying sectors such as sewing , domestic services or the food sector . Here , they learn various skills they can apply in the construction industry , including building , metal work , plumbing , pipefitting , electricity and carpentry .
Women in Bolivia count for about eight per cent of the prisoner population , with two thirds incarcerated for non-violent crimes usually related to the micro-trafficking of drugs . With most coming from a low socio-economic and educational background , and with the additional burden of being the main or even the sole earner in the family , these detained women could easily fall back into crime if they found themselves unable to guarantee a steady and sufficient livelihood . In the growing construction sector , with a high demand for qualified workers , and with the average salary in the construction sector being about 25 per cent superior to the national minimum salary , the opportunity for women to enter this sector is a formidable method of empowerment , and a road to financial security and a normal life .
Presenting various aspects of their teaching and training on the occasion of a special Mother ’ s Day fair , Paulina and some of her fellow inmates presented various aspects of their teaching and training , which includes components on rights , self-esteem , entrepreneurial initiative , decision-making , spare parts , basic facilities and painting . For the time being , they are performing refurbishments and handiwork in the centres in which they are serving their sentences , practicing the skills and knowledge they have gained , and improving their and their children ’ s living conditions as they prepare for a successful reintegration into society .
38 INSPIRAS