It was 10.40 at night, and we were sitting in our open meeting room being encircled by baying mosquitoes debating the terms of a baseline study. We’d been at it since 8.30 in the morning, but at least we were all sipping a bottle of local beer. We’ve been staying at a catholic priests training school in the country, and as you can imagine, Togolese trainee priest are not exactly prima donnas, so neither is the accommodation fit for one. But if i needed to motivate myself in any way for the days of meetings, i just needed to remember our visit to the Brigade, the youth prison, which we saw just before heading back out here again. After all, that was essentially why we were here.
The brigade is small…well really small. We went to talk with the social worker there who our project supports and immediately I was shocked to find out that the brigade not only holds children accused of crime but also takes in other vulnerable children, such as those living on the streets. The state here is so unable to support them that this seems the best way to look after them. It is insanity as the regime here makes no differential between those held here judicially and those whom are here because they are just vulnerable.
We were first taken to the TV room which is the only place where they are allowed, other than their cells. It was dark and had an old TV blaring away to itself. It was empty because at weekends they are held in their cells the whole time and not allowed out at all.
We entered the courtyard between the cells and could see the faces of the detainees behind the bars, peeking out curiously at the visitors.
The rebel in me kicked in and i decided i was not going to make sure I didn’t get the ‘official’ tour. Then the youth worker in me kicked in, so I went over to chat to them in their cells. There were 8 boys in one cell – just go and chat to them i thought – but meaningful conversation is pretty impossible through a metal barred window. Still, they were all avid supporters of Arsenal (the Adebayor link you see) and were playing a game of cards that seemed to be at a crucial point. They all want to go back to school when hey get out, but when pushed they began to move away from standard responses. “There is nothing here to do at all..its just so boring..even the tele is rubbish as we only have 3 local channels and we can’t even go out at the weekends.” They all loved football, but there was simply no where for them to play, even if they would have been allowed too.
Seeing the reality of children behind bars and the obvious impact on the future it must have on them and their prospects, it seems crazy that so many are being incarcerated for such small and petty crimes, without any thought going into the psychological and physical effects on them as young people Yet its not just a Togo thing…or a distant problem…in the UK, we now lock up more children that any other country in Europe (Click to see stats). We have the resources to ensure they are not kept in the crowded conditions I’ve seen here in Togo, but we do not have the moral high ground at all to think that what goes on in the Brigade in Lomé is wrong.
If i will need any extra motivation, we are spending the morning in the real prison next week….I am sure that will provide it in abundance.
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