Correctional Services Deputy Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize rolls out Imbeleko Project on Babies Behind Bars in Limpopo, at Polokwane Correctional Centre, on Friday, 27 November 2009, 09h00.
On day three of the 16 Days of Activism Campaign for No Violence against Women and Children, 27 November, Deputy Minister Hlengiwe Mkhize of Correctional Services will roll-out Imbeleko in Limpopo, at the Polokwane Correctional Centre. With the Deputy Chairperson of the Limpopo House of Traditional Leaders, Kgosi Netshimbupfe, Deputy Minister Mkhize will interact with women offenders and their babies and visit the female section.
The Imbeleko Project focuses on the well being and protection of children behind bars with their incarcerated mothers. Some of the children are as young as four months. It is one of the interventions of the South African government aimed at extending human rights to children and mothers behind bars.
The roll-out takes place at an important time when people are reminded of women who are victims of gender-based violence and abuse, with some left forgotten in incarceration for offences triggered by sexual abuse and rights' violations.
Like previous visits to other correctional centres, this visit will create the platform to assess measures taken by the Limpopo or North West and Mpumalanga region to improve the treatment of children and women in incarceration. Imbeleko was officially launched by Deputy Minister Mkhize in the Eastern Cape on 26 August 2009. It is aimed at creating a climate conducive to the developmental needs of children during their first two years of life in correctional facilities.
All members of the Media are invited to attend, as follows:
Date: Friday, 27 November 2009
Venue: Polokwane Correctional Centre
Time: 09h00
Enquiries:
David Hlabane
Cell: 082 052 3499
Issued by: Department of Correctional Services
25 November 2009
