Imprisoned mothers better placed to take care of their infants - Ziyambi

THE Minister of Justice Legal and Parliamentary affairs Ziyambi Ziyambi has said the imprisoned mothers are still better placed to take care of their infants even when they are jailed.

Ziyambi made the remarks while responding to questions from Chegutu legislator Dexter Nduna.

"I want to thank Nduna for asking that question regarding children who are born in prison or who are with their mothers serving sentences in prison.  As part of improvement of our justice system, we are trying to abide by what we call best practices," he said.

"When a child is born, what is best for that child is to be with their mother because the mother is better placed to look after them. Among the measures we have in place, whilst in prison, the mother is able to get the necessary assistance to bring up their child. The reason is that, if the children are separated from the mothers, they will not be able to get the maternal love that is necessary for their growth."

Nduna had asked "Which measures does the Government have concerning children whose mothers are in prison? Is there any plan in place to ensure that children are separated from their parents so that they also do not serve the sentences their parents are serving, given that they have to stay with their parents in prison?"