Juarez inmate's mother speaks out about pope's visit
JUAREZ, Mexico (KABC) -- Pope Francis will visit a prison in Ciudad Juarez on Wednesday, notorious for corruption, intimidation and extortion.
The mother of a woman who has been incarcerated for four years at Cereso state prison in Juarez spoke to Eyewitness News about the horrible treatment she says her daughter is receiving.
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Maria Eugenia's daughter, whose name she did not want to reveal, is serving a life sentence for extortion. Eugenia said her daughter's incarceration has been draining for her family - financially and emotionally.
Eugenia's said her daughter and other women in the prison are getting their human rights violated and no one is doing anything about it.
"When people get arrested, they get beat up like animals. They get treated like animals. Family members have to learn how to stay quiet," Eugenia said through translation as she broke down in tears.
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Eugenia said her daughter has experienced her share of violence - she was beat up and even lost a baby.
A lot of the mothers inside the prison actually have their kids with them. Eugenia did not want that for her grandchildren, so they are living with her - not their mother.
"It's just not right for children to be living in a prison. That's not the way a child should grow up and those things that they see that many times, they can't really say anything about. They just have to stay quiet," Eugenia said through translation.
Eugenia's daughter is one of the women chosen to greet Pope Francis during his visit to the prison. She said her daughter is very excited about the opportunity, but she actually couldn't care less.
After all that her family has been through, Eugenia said she has lost her faith. She said Pope Francis' visit to the prison will not bring about any significant change or have a real impact.
In addition to visiting the prison, Pope Francis will also hold a Mass in Juarez before returning to the Vatican Wednesday night.
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