African prisoners should enjoy their sex rights
By Godfrey Olukya 3-10-2012
Prisons chiefs from various countries have called for an expeditious review of judicial laws to enable prisoners to enjoy their sex rights
while serving their sentences.
The African prisons chiefs meeting under their organization called ‘The African Correctional Services Association, (ACSA) at Munyonyo Speke Resort Hotel in Kampala Uganda, said that denying prisoners from having conjugal rights is an abuse of the human rights.
In a joint statement they said,’The continuous denial of sex to married prisoners is accelerating homosexuality and HIV/AIDS
prevalence among inmates.’
According to the chairman of ACSA, also commissioner of Zambia prisons, Percy Chato, denying inmates sexual rights is detrimental to their rehabilitation and health.’
He said,’Enjoying sex is the best human right for inmates. Denying them conjugal rights does not help in rehabilitating them. They end up in homosexuality.’
The special rapporteur on prisons and conditions of detention in Africa, Medi Kaggwa said,’Lack of conjugal rights in African prisons
has led to increase in homosexuality. The rate of HIV-AIDS is high among prisoners even when they are separated according to gender.’
Uganda’s minister of internal affairs, Hilary Onek requested governments to construct places where prisoners can have sex. He said,’The purpose of imprisonment is to rehabilitate offenders into law abiding citizens. It is therefore not fair to punish them to the
extent of denying them sex.’
END
