argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Prisons are trying to confirm that the problem is you...
  • ... and from the feminist movement we have to turn that idea: the problem is the patriarchal, racist and capitalist system!
Nekane Txapartegi 2020ko urriaren 12a

The patriarchal penitentiary system makes every effort to educate women in the basket in a hell made by men. They punish us for breaking roles that women have broken in a hierarchically constituted institution. Not only do they not take our needs into account, they constantly try to make us see that the fault is ours and that the problem is ours. Adding the aggravated penalty to the isolation, remoteness… that we suffer in prison. The repression is double and triple what we suffer women dams and dams mothers, since the reasons that led us to jail add up to the penalty imposed on us for not "obeying". To do this, the possibilities offered to women prisoners in the daily life of the prison to "socialize", to break the isolation are totally heteronormative, sexist and patriarchal: washing, ironing…

While inside the attempt to control our body and thought is the bread of every day, outside society punishes us socially and not only ourselves, but the women of our family. The inmates have been criticized because we have not prioritized the family, because if we don't have children we don't have them and because we've left them. Everyone knows what it is to be a good mother and what it is not! Those in our house have been punished for what we have chosen as women. Because we have not stayed at home to take care of the family and we have to remind them that we are bad daughters. We have not complied with what the patriarchate expected! In addition, it is considered normal that they have to take care of ourselves, cook our clothes, cook for the Vixitas or make thousands of kilometers every week for them to see us separated by a glass.

Prisons and states punish our children only for being our children and outside we meet a patriarchal maternity institution and a social punishment. That’s why it’s time to talk about women* and care! We have just seen that at the time of COVID-19 the burden of the crisis has also fallen on women* and let the burden of prison surveillance also fall on us.

We leave the houses, the families we leave, the children who took us away… and we leave the fears! What will the others say, and that is what we should all do, those of us who are dedicated to surveillance and above all those who leave the care tasks! To this end, on 14 October we will have the opportunity to participate in the round table Women*, Prison, Care organized by the Feminist Group Lurgatz Mintzola de Villabona.