Malawi Prisons Service (MPS) has admitted that it is facing challenges in taking care of at least 32 children living with their mothers in prison amid the deadly Covid-19 pandemic.

MPS spokesperson Chimwemwe Shaba has since asked authorities to tackle the issue as they are liaising on how best to decongest prisons as a measure of containing the spread of Covid-19.

Shaba said the department understands how vulnerable children can be in prisons to covid-19 as currently the prisons have already registered a number of Covid-19 cases.

McNight Kalanda, Director of Child Development Affairs in the Ministry of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare said officials from the ministry are yet to meet with official from the Ministry of Justice to suggest how best to address the challenge.

“We are planning to have an audince with the judiciary on the same and we will start with Dedza Prison,” he said.

Three years have now elapsed government authorities started liaising on how to take care of children residing with their mothers in Malawi prisons.