Cambodian Kids Behind Bars (3) Lina's Story-Overcrowding

Commissioned artwork used in LICADHO's latest Cambodian prisons condition illustrates the everyday life of incarcerated mother with their child.

Lina is a Cambodian woman doing a 16-year prison stretch for a crime she claims she did not commit. She had a young daughter, Maly, who spent time in jail with her.

"When I first entered the prison with Maly I was so shocked at the bad living conditions of the prison cell. Twenty-five women live in my cell and there are currently two children living in my cell, however this number changes every week.

We are each allowed three hands squared to live in, which makes sleeping difficult, as you can imagine. I sleep all squashed up leaning on my hands and arms which makes them hurt.

 I cannot sleep properly inside here, there is not enough space, there are too many people, it smells, it is hot and I think too much. I usually wake up at 4am, sometimes 5 or 6am."

~http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/reports/files/116LICADHOReportPrisonMotherChild07.pdf


 Cambodian prisons house far more prisoners than they were built for; occupancy rates are at 174% of capacity.