Journalist at Akhbar el-Yom, Nawal Mostafa, currently editor-in-chief, visited Qanater al-Khairia women’s prison to interview drug smugglers on death row one day in 1990. Walking between the grim walls, the laughter of children playing in the prison yard caught her attention. When she asked the prison’s commanding officer about them, she learned they were the children of female inmates. The revelation alerted her to a problem she had been trying to solve ever since. That same year, Mostafa founded the Children of Female Prisoners Association (CFPA), a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to addressing the plight of children whose mothers are incarcerated. There are no official statistics on the number of children living with their mothers in Egyptian prisons; however, the law provides aid for those who do. According to Egyptian prison regulations, a woman is allowed to keep her child with her in prison until the child turns two. The law also guarantees that pregnant inmates receive continuous medical care and suspends the execution of death sentences for women during pregnancy, and for up to two months after giving birth. Mostafa’s early investigation brought attention to the harsh reality faced…
