The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognisance of the various difficulties being faced by the prisoners, including the women inmates and their children, in the jails across the country. These include overcrowding, a lack of basic amenities and healthcare facilities in jails. The issues have been brought to its notice by its Special Monitors and Rapporteurs, through their reports after visiting various jails across the country, as well as the complaints.

Some of the other concerns raised include the violation of the rights to dignity and safety of the women prisoners, increased violence against them causing mental distress, unhygienic conditions without adequate toilet, sanitary napkins, clean drinking water facilities, poor quality food resulting in malnourishment particularly in the pregnant women and lactating mothers, lack of educational opportunities to the children of women prisoners living in jails with them, non-implementation of their welfare programmes including legal aid, vocational training and rehabilitation.

Therefore, the Commission has issued notices to the Chief Secretaries of all the States and Union Territories to submit a report within four weeks on the following:

i.) The number of women prisoners lodged in Jails in their State,

ii.) The number of women prisoners whose babies are lodged in Jails on account of the mothers being incarcerated;

iii.) The number of women prisoners, who are convicted prisoners and those who are undertrial prisoners;

iv.) The number of women undertrial prisoners who are languishing for more than a year in Jail;

v.) The number of male undertrial prisoners and those who are languishing in Jail for more than a year.

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NSK

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