Female prison inmates make history in Caribbean Boxing
Orina Silas (red) makes strong statement with a win
History was made at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Thursday evening when Orina Silas and Shania Benjamin became the first female inmates from Guyana, and believed to be the first in the Caribbean, to step into the boxing ring while still serving prison sentences.
Representing the Republican Gym, the two women were part of the field competing at the Caribbean Schoolboys and Juniors Boxing Championships, which got underway Thursday and brought together young boxers from across the region.
Their appearance represented far more than another boxing bout. It was a powerful demonstration of the role sport can play in rehabilitation, discipline, empowerment and the restoration of hope.
Silas and Benjamin’s participation is the first major outcome of renewed efforts by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) to revive prison boxing through a strategic collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, headed by Minister Oneidge Walrond.
The initiative followed discussions between GBA President Steve Ninvalle and Minister Walrond, during which both sides explored the reintroduction of boxing as an important component of the Ministry’s broader prison reform and rehabilitation programme.
The collaboration marks a return to a concept that has previously produced tangible results, with boxing being used not merely as a competitive sport, but as a vehicle for personal development, discipline and rehabilitation among inmates.
For Silas and Benjamin, stepping between the ropes represented a significant personal achievement while simultaneously breaking new ground for women and prison rehabilitation across the Caribbean.
President of the Trinidad and Tobago Boxing Association, Cecil Forde, described the initiative as significant and said he intends to use Guyana’s programme as an example in discussions with his country’s authorities.
“It’s something we’ve been pushing for in Trinidad and Tobago,” Forde said.
“We know it’s something that’s really good and very important because part of the prison system should be to help reform or rehabilitate. I intend to once again formally reach out to the Ministry of National Security and the Minister, where we will be showing them what’s happening in Guyana and hopefully, we can adapt a similar approach,” Forde noted.
President of the St Maarten Boxing Association, Shawn Blair, who is in Guyana with his national contingent for the championships, was equally moved by the historic moment.
“It was truly inspiring. Boxing is more than just a sport; it is a tool for discipline, empowerment, rehabilitation, and giving people a second chance,” Blair said.
According to Blair, “seeing these women demonstrate courage, determination, and strength through boxing is something that I will never forget. As a boxer, coach, and President of the St. Maarten National Boxing Federation, I am proud to have been present for such an important moment in the development of boxing in Guyana.”
Ninvalle expressed gratitude to Minister Walrond for sharing the GBA’s vision of using boxing as a meaningful rehabilitation tool and providing inmates with constructive opportunities through sport.
He said the GBA will continue to work closely with Walrond and the Ministry of Home Affairs as efforts intensify to expand and strengthen boxing within the prison service, particularly among women.
