Another side of Quito

By Robin Fillner – SALUD Program Guest blogger traveling in Quito.
Yesterday, I went with some people from the school to the women's prison in Quito. Patty, the main administrator at the school, is very compassionate and wanted us to experience this. She is trying to start a school for the young children that grow up there. When women are put in the jail, their children must go with them if there is no one else to care for them. Some of the women get pregnant in the jail, as a way to reduce their sentences. Unfortunately, this does not always happen and the children must spend their childhoods in jail.
Patty is trying to explain to these women that this is not fair to these kids. Some of the children are unable to read, count, draw, anything. They have never seen anything farther than the walls of the jail. Pregnant women do not get incarcerated, they are set free.
Going inside we had to show our actual passports and get searched. We brought things that they could use: food, cleaning and hygienic supplies, books, etc; those had to be searched as well. Then we got two stamps on our arms. If these were missing for some reason we would not be able to get out..
We entered into a big hall (past a couple highly guarded courtyards) where hanging above was lots of laundry. The hall was covered on top and three stories high with rooms on either side. There were small children running around and tugging on us for money, supplies, and just to say hello. The women were so happy we were there and gave us a welcome speech. They introduced themselves and told us how long they had been there. They had just had a party for a missionary who had been with them for 16 years and was now retiring.
It was amazing what they could do with so little. There were about 10 foreigners there whom we talked with in groups. Indonesia, Thailand, Ireland, USA, Brazil… I spoke with a woman from California. She had met up with a guy who completely lied about himself: His name, nationality, job, everything. She was with him for 2 years and he eventually lured her on vacation to Ecuador with him. When she was leaving he switched her luggage which had had 3 kilos of coke sewn into it, she was nabbed at the airport.
She told the police where he was and when they went to get him, his place had absolutely nothing in it – like he didn't exist. It turned out he was actually from Colombia. There is a lot more to the story of course, and I wonder how much of her perception agrees with what happened. She said that she was in jail for 2 years before even having a sentence! In Ecuador, it is illegal to hold people longer than one year without a sentence. But, they imposed a harsher allegation for the same crime on her. Double jeopardy?? She ended up getting a lawyer from California who worked pro bono on her case. He was able to speed things up but, at the same time, I think it was in 2004 when Ecuador was going through political turmoil and the judges didn't want to pass any judgments so everything was working very slow.
I asked her about any human rights groups she may have had contact with and she said she was able to get a documentary film out, something like: packed, wrapped, and stuck. She also has an article in Glamour Magazine 2004 May or June. She is amazing; just her spirit after all she has been through. She said when you get to the prison you have to make your own bed, you have to buy the materials, and of course you have to somehow earn money to buy the materials. They make all kinds of little things and sell them to the visitors. Also family members bring them money and material, or food too. But being a foreigner you would have no one. So the missionaries help them out a lot. They also email for them to get messages out to their families. I brought her toothpaste and toothbrushes and pads. She was so thankful!!! I hope to go again and see her before I leave.