by Barry Higgins
Last month I travelled about four hours drive from Phnom Penh to a provincial prison to hear the health education officer share his concern for the safety and emotional well being of prisoners. His story opens a window into how Peace Bridges transfers training in a class room to transformation in a community.
The urgency in his voice struck me -
“The way inmates are treated by guards in prison will impact how they live in the community upon release. When injustice prevails in the prison, it does not allow for positive transformation!”
He knows that the system not only contains violence but creates it. He’s wants to make a difference and asked me what Peace Bridges can do to help.
Together, we are helping. The health education officer and fifteen other prison guards have recently begun a training program supporting them to listen with respect and respond to prisoners without violence. Eventually Peace Bridges hopes to see every prison guard develop habits of non – violence.
So how did this peacebuilder become passionate about non-violence? He noticed the impacts the Peace Bridges' lessons on active listening and responding without violence was having on the prisoners. Prisoners exposed to the training were more successful at reintegrating with family and community. As one prisoner commented -
“If only I learnt these things before, maybe I wouldn’t have ended up in this place!”
The lessons the prisoners were learning – and the changes they were making - were noticed. And a step was taken - someone asked for help in training and equipping the prison guards.
And how did Peace Bridges get involved in the prison? We became involved when a graduate of the Certificate in Conflict Counselling and Mediation Training sought to apply what he had learnt in his local prison work. Now Peace Bridges supports him and a local organisation he belongs to run more training there.
Our end goal is to build the capability of this organisation so they won’t need our help any more. Then we can support other peacebuilders in other places.
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