PERU: Charity organization provides thousands of shoes for women in Peruvian prisons

Record ID: 601673

  • Title: PERU: Charity organization provides thousands of shoes for women in Peruvian prisons
  • Date: 16th December 2009
  • Summary: LIMA, PERU (DECEMBER 15, 2009) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF EXTERIOR OF PRISON POLICE TRANSPORTING GROUP OF WOMEN PRISONERS WOMAN PRISONER HANDCUFFED COURTYARD IN PRISON GENERAL VIEW OF CEREMONY BEGINNING
  • Embargoed: 31st December 2009 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Peru
  • Country: Peru
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,Social Services / Welfare
  • Reuters ID: LVA42WG1WY6WVG1R8YHSKIP5PRZ4
  • Story Text: Christian NGO Samaritan's Feet hands out shoes to female prisoner in Lima, Peru.
    A charity group began handing out thousands of pairs of shoes in Peru's notoriously rough prison system on Tuesday (December 15), visiting a women's prison in Lima.
    The NGO Samaritan's Feet symbolically washes the feet of the recipients before presenting them with a new pair of shoes.
    The group's website says the feet washing is a 'demonstration of faith, hope and love', things that are much-needed in Peru's overcrowded dangerous prisons where many are serving long sentences for trafficking small amounts of drugs.
    As volunteers for the Christian NGO washed feet and presented the shoes, Antonio Falon, the head of the group's Peruvian chapter, said the goal was to provide hope for the inmates.
    "Today, we started off by washing the feet of 30 prisoners and will have done over 400 by the end of the day. The total donations and permission to pass out shoes will be around 45,000 pair, which will be passed out in 45 prisons. This is to transmit Jesus' message of hope after people have made mistakes. They can change and have a better life," Falon said.
    Many of those laboring under long sentences for trafficking are from other countries and have been serving tough time far from home.
    The Peruvian government is reviewing thousands cases and cutting back on unreasonable sentences, sending inmates home to their friends and families.
    "Before the end of the year there are going to hand over around 1000 new commuted sentences. Of those 1000, which will hopefully be done before Christmas, there will be around 100 to 150 foreigners, most of them charged with working as mules for drug traffickers," said Peruvian Justice Minister Aurelio Pastor.
    Katherine Murul, a Malaysian who was arrested in Peru, is among those who hopes to home for Christmas after her sentence was commuted.
    "I also have received my commutation for thirteen of January of 2010. I hope so that I can go out before Christmas, to celebrate Christmas with my family and all my friends outside waiting for me," Murul said.
    Samaritan's Feet distributes shoes in Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe and Asia. Their goal is pass out over 10 million pairs of shoes in 10 years.
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