by Beth Stolicker
Mission Network News
She must be very lonely. Usually, prisoners in solitary confinement are not allowed to see any visitors. It’s unlikely she is able to meet with her husband and/or children. If she does, they will never be left alone by the guards. Talking openly or slipping messages is out of the question. She must miss her children terribly. Many fellow inmates have children in the prison. They stay with their (single) mothers until the age of seven. Their crying and occasional laughter often fill the corridors.
What are the effects of this kind of imprisonment on the soul? A Pakistani trauma counselor says, “Someone like Asia Bibi would not have been prepared for the trauma of this long-term separation from her loved ones. When she comes out and is free from the shackles of this sentence, she will suffer much mental pain, and it will be a long healing process for her. The evil of injustice, unfair punishment, and separation from her family will have eroded her sense of what is normal. She will need to rebuild it tenderly with fragile care and concern from her loved ones...