An incredibly important article on what it& #39;s like to live with a partner in prison in Egypt from Heba Anis. Her husband, Dr. Walid Shawky, has been held in pre-trial detention for over 18 months. Short thread on what to consider in reading this account. https://raseef22.com/article/1078374 ">https://raseef22.com/article/1...
The detention situation in Egypt is so acute and the number of those unjustly detained is so absolutely overwhelming that rights defenders, lawyers, and activists rarely have a chance to look beyond immediate concerns of ensuring prisoners are safe and trying to secure freedom.
But, as has been studied with mass incarceration elsewhere (including US), the consequences associated with mass detention extend far and wide into society. Heba mentions the impact on her child, who suffers psychologically. Imprisonment is a trauma suffered by generations.
Inherent in her story are gendered implications of incarceration. Single motherhood presents so many challenges on its own: add to that constant stress and concern associated with having a spouse in jail, not knowing when or if they& #39;ll be released. Mothers, wives, suffer greatly.