The Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution organises a recreational trip for 35 women inmates to Al-Nour amusement park

On Monday the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, in cooperation with the Reform and Rehabilitation Directorate at the Ministry of Interior and National Security, organised a recreational trip for 35 women inmates to the Al-Nour amusement park south of Gaza City.

For her part, Hanan Abu Zaher, the social worker who supervised the trip on behalf of the Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution, said: "The Centre sponsored this special trip out of its belief in the need to bring an inmate together with her children living at home, and as a continuation of the psychological support programmes and the therapeutic emotional release sessions, but away from the rooms of the reform and rehabilitation centre."

She explained that the meeting included activity programmes for the children and others for the children with their mothers, with gifts and incentive prizes distributed and energising games played.

Captain Amal Nofal, director of the Ansar reform and rehabilitation centre for women, said: "This is the first time we have held such a distinctive trip, and this special idea found encouragement from the director general of the Reform Directorate, Colonel Atiya Mansour."

She explained that the trip is a continuation of the recreational programmes and activities provided to male and female inmates during their free time, such as playing a range of games and taking part in the competitions organised for the women inmates.

She noted that the trip included a number of recreational activities, theatre sketches and religious songs performed by the women inmates and their young children, who came especially for this trip.

She pointed out that the Reform and Rehabilitation Directorate brought the inmates' children to join them on the trip, a humanitarian gesture by the General Directorate of Reform and Rehabilitation, which always seeks to raise its humanitarian and civilised standards.

For his part, Captain Mohammed Abu Hasnein, head of the security unit at the rehabilitation and reform centres, said: "My unit inspected the site before the inmates arrived to ensure it met the security conditions."

He explained that the inmates included in the trip were those whose cases pose no danger to their lives, noting that a security plan was drawn up for the trip to ensure the safety of those taking part.

She added: "The Palestinian Center provided lessons in psychological counselling to the inmates during the trip as an educational and awareness-raising element."

For her part, the inmate Umm Samer thanked the Reform and Rehabilitation Directorate for the special trip, which was "a joyful surprise" for her, as she put it, particularly after they brought her daughter to her from the Rahma home, whom she had not seen for a year and a half