Nid* is well aware that tomorrow is National Children's Day. But while many of the nation's mothers will be ensuring their kids realise just how special they are on this particular day, perhaps by taking them to join in one of the special activities on offer throughout the country, for Nid, a mother of one, this will unfortunately not be the case.
"The most special thing I can do right now is to wish my daughter grows up and becomes a good person and not make the same mistakes I did," said Nid, a 25-year-old inmate at Chiangmai Woman Correctional Institution. In her arms is Nida*, her four-month-old daughter, just two months into her two year and 10 month sentence.
Nid was arrested six months ago and charged with the use, possession and selling of amphetamine pills.
Being pregnant is hard enough, so being in prison while pregnant is double trouble. Nid says that she cries every single day and is extremely concerned about her baby's future given that her mother is now a branded criminal.
At first, she did not want her daughter to stay with her behind bars, despite the fact that the Department of Corrections allows infants up to one year old to be with their mums during detention. Over time, however, the mother-child bond developed, to the point where Nid admits she doesn't want to be apart from her, even for one day.
Chiangmai Woman Correctional Institution is one of the prisons in Thailand that provides much-needed assistance and support to inmates who give birth while imprisoned. Floods of generosity come in various forms — counselling and training for pregnant prisoners, prenatal workshops, baby massage sessions, breastfeeding support — and come from various projects including the Kamlangjai Project under the Royal Initiative of HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha and support from the Creative Corrections Education Foundation (Thailand).
All this has one sole objective — to improve the livelihood of both prisoners and their babies.
New mums are allowed to be with their newborns in the nursery all day.
According to director of the Chiangmai Woman Correctional Institution, Areerat Thimthong, the Institution is one of the only two all-female prisons in the northern region and one of the eight all-female prisons countrywide.
There are currently approximately 1,900 female inmates, 90% of which are charged with drug-related crimes. Four inmates have been sentenced to death, while 100 others have to remain in the penitentiary for no less than 30 years.
"There are four groups of people in prison that we pay extra attention to: the physically sick, prisoners with psychological difficulties, pregnant women and babies born to prisoners," commented Areerat. "Though these people are punished by being locked up, we do not treat them as just prisoners. They are like cousins — people we need to care about."
Areerat added that due to budget restraints, assistance from several charitable organisations is paramount when it comes to pregnant inmates and babies born to them. At present, there are nine pregnant prisoners at the correctional facility, with the soonest delivery due next month. Currently, there are approximately 10 babies and toddlers and they are allowed to be breastfed at the nursery located within the prison's premises. New mums and their newborns are also allowed to stay together at the nursery 24/7.
"Babies born while their mothers are prisoners are allowed to be in prison only up to one year old," the director explained. "This is because children will start memorising things when they approach that age. Consequently if we allow them to stay longer, children will see things they are not supposed to see and will keep those experiences deep down in their memory. They are also likely to believe that prison is an ordinary place and there is nothing to be afraid of if they commit a crime and are sent to jail."
When inmates' newborns turn one, there are only two choices for them. Go back to their extended family, or to children's foundations or homes for babies.
Creative Corrections Education Foundation (Thailand) (CCEF) is a non-governmental organisation that provides much-needed support for kids whose mothers are imprisoned. Founded in March last year, the foundation currently helps provide baby necessities to infants born to inmates at Klongprem Central Prison in Bangkok, as well as Chiangmai Woman Correctional Institution.
"Babies born to inmates are without a doubt underprivileged. Most of the time they are also overlooked," said Apisith Promyanont, the foundation's CEO. "Each year there are around 300,000 kids around the country who have to live by themselves while their mothers or fathers are in jail. These children are living in poor conditions because they lack family leaders. And if we do not help them, they have a chance to fall into the same crime cycle as their parents did."
Apart from necessities and equipment provided to newborns who live with their mothers behind bars, CCEF also gives scholarships to inmates' children who live outside of the prison. The grant ranges from 3,500 baht per semester for primary school students to 9,000 baht per semester for university students.
"By helping provide support to these needy kids, we hope the young ones can become an inspiration for inmates to improve themselves and become a better person," Apisith added.
Tong* is one of the students who received a scholarship from CCEF this past semester. For the 12-year-old, living without parents is tough enough. His mum Noi* has been sentenced to 10-years imprisonment on a drug-related crime. Struggling to grow up without someone to guide him, Tong lives with his partially-sighted grandmother who earns a living as a trash collector.
"My family is very poor. My mother earns very little money each day and it is apparently not enough to put food on the table," said Noi, 30-year-old native of Phayao province.
"My husband left me when Tong was only one month old. And I am here in prison so I cannot help at all with family income. To make ends meet, sometimes Tong has to compete in boxing tournaments to earn some more money."
So receiving a scholarship of 3,500 baht per semester from CCEF means so much, not just to the boy but also to his inmate mother who has around four years left in confinement.
"Education plays a significant part in a child's future," said Noi. "With education, my son will have a chance to get a job. Although I cannot help when it comes to raising my boy, I only wish that he study as much as he can so that he learns not to make the same mistake I did."
Noi, like many of the inmates, will not have a chance to meet her son tomorrow to celebrate Children's Day, but said she is certain that one day when she walks out of the prison, her son will welcome her back home and the family bond will then be strengthened once again.
"I am not sure what the future has in store for my son," she said. "But I love him. And I think this is all that matters."
(*not their real names)
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Nid breastfeeds her four-month-old daughter in the nursery located within the prison’s compound.
