CAIRO - In a nice gesture by the Interior Ministry, about 67 imprisoned mothers have been allowed to enjoy a reunion with their children on the occasion of Mother's Day, which Egypt observed. The Ministry has provided the children with gifts, which they presented to their mothers during the celebration that was attended by Government officials and representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs). The officials pledged that they would continue to make the family the historic unit that it should be and strengthen those mothers, who are going back out into the society after they complete their term. They said that she would also work on reducing domestic violence, which they said was the main reason for putting these mothers behind bars away from their children and family members. The prison system, which has become more rehabilitative than punitive, aims to teach the female inmates parenting and trade skills they did not know when they were outside, the officials said. "The best thing to happen in prison, is seeing your child," Heba Kamel, a 23-year-old female inmate, said after receiving a gift from her son at el-Qanater Prison. The prison authorities have laid gifts and food at the visiting room where Egyptian songs about Mother's Day were being played for the women and their children, who will have to wait for one more year to see each other again.
