Guyana female inmates participate in historic boxing bout

Female inmates from the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) have participated in a historic boxing bout, marking the first time female prisoners in Guyana, and potentially the wider Caribbean Community (CARICOM), have competed in the ring.

Orina Silas and Shania Benjamin faced each other in an exhibition match during the ninth annual Winfield Braithwaite Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Championships. The event was organized by the Guyana Boxing Association in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

The bout is part of a structured rehabilitation programme within the GPS designed to use boxing as a tool for personal development. While male inmates have previously participated in the programme, this marks the first time female inmates have been included. The initiative aims to foster discipline, self-control, focus, and resilience to assist in the social reintegration of inmates.