NGO | Impressions

By T. V. Antony Raj

On Sunday, April 7, 2013, Manuel Mallia, Malta’s Minister of Home Affairs made a surprise visit to the Corradino Correctional Facility.

Thanks to my fellow blogger Andrew Azzopardi, I came across the following hilarious article “Prisoners missing from prison during Minister’s second surprise visit” by Karl Stennienibarra posted on April 9, 2013, at bisserjeta.com.

Prisoners’ rights NGO Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl (MDD) director George Busuttil

Apparently, this post looks like a sequel to the article “Total system failure | George Busuttil” by Raphael Vassallo published in maltatoday on February 13, 2012 where, as prisoner’s right NGO Mid-Dlam Ghad-Dawl approaches its 17th anniversary, its director George Busuttil vents his frustration at an apparent total breakdown of the prison system.

Prisoners Missing from Prison During Minister’s Second Surprise Visit

By Karl Stennienibarra

Manuel Mallia, Home Affairs Minister of Malta

Home Affairs minister Manwel Mallia returned to Corradino prison for a second surprise visit this morning, only to find that this time it was the prisoners who were missing, as well as the guards.

Corradino Correctional Facility, Paola, Malta

After yesterday’s unscheduled visit to the prison, Dr Mallia realized that he had forgotten his briefcase. However, upon returning to prison, the only person who was there to greet him was an elderly cleaner.

“I expect the prisoners will be at the band club for early morning tea and pastizzi,” the janitor told the Minister.

The janitor explained to Dr Mallia that after breakfast on Tuesdays, the inmates liked to go unaccompanied to Birgu flea market for a stroll. After that, they liked to go their separate ways and do their own thing, such as loitering outside schools, borrowing cars and saying hello to witnesses who testified against them.

The younger, faster ones tended not to come back.

“I told Dr Mallia that if he was going to wait for them he might as well help himself to some drugs. He looked like he could use a joint.”

During yesterday’s surprise visit, Dr Mallia discovered that prison guards who were meant to be working until 9 pm went home as early as 1 pm.

Before handing in his resignation, prison director Abraham Zammit attempted to explain the situation.

“The prison guards are required by their wives to return home every afternoon to sign the bail book. They are very strict about this and who am I to get in the way of household law?” Mr Zammit said.

Prisoners missing from prison during Minister’s second surprise visit (bisserjeta.com)
Director of Prisons submits resignation (andrewazzopardi.org)
Board set up to investigate abuse at prisons – Prisons Director resignation accepted (timesofmalta.com)
Minister finds prison guards absent during surprise visit (timesofmalta.com)
Board to look into prison practices (timesofmalta.com)
Total system failure | George Busuttil (maltatoday.com.mt)

By Pramila Krishnan

Published on Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 in Deccan Chronicle

Chennai: The missing children bureau, started in Tamil Nadu in 2001 under the Tamil Nadu social defence department to trace children, is missing for the last four years. The bureau’s web portal has not been updated since 2007 and there was no information about whether the 200-odd children registered on the site as missing were restored to the families or not.

Take this case: M. Karthik Kannan, age 11, height 3.5 metres; missing date: 28/12/2002. Place: Coimbatore. Identification marks: Fair looking boy, a scar on the right elbow and protruding teeth. His photo and details were registered on the website but the site has no details about whether he was traced or not. Like him, over 10,500 children went missing in Tamil Nadu in the last five years, according to the national crime records bureau. Child rights activists question the absence of the bureau.

Jebaraj of NGO JustTrust, which works against child trafficking, said, “Several missing children are trafficked and forced into bonded labour, sexual exploitation and begging. When the MCB itself is missing, it shows the lack of love and commitment to work for the rights of children in our state.”

Requesting anonymity, a senior officer who worked in the department said, “The bureau stopped functioning long ago. The photos of children reported by the parents with the police as missing were uploaded on the website. But no big measure was taken to reunite the children with their families.”

The officer said now the department is considering to post a nodal officer to regulate the bureau. Social defence department director N. Mathivanan told DC that the bureau was closed and a new project, ‘Track the child’, would soon be implemented.

Re-posted from Deccan Chronicle