The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has issued an Advisory on the ‘Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children’ to nine Union Ministries, Chief Secretaries/ Administrators, Director Generals of Police of all States and Union Territories (UTs).
The NHRC emphasises that the rights and needs of prisoners, including the female prisoners and their children, who constitute a more vulnerable group among them, require focused attention and a sensitive, gender-responsive approach. Beyond custodial safeguards, it calls for humane prison conditions, adequate maternal and child healthcare, access to justice, preservation of family ties, protection of children's best interests, meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation and social reintegration.
The Advisory focuses on ten broad areas for action. These include Pre-Admission, Arrest and Entry into the Prison System, Admission Records, Child Database and Documentation, Health, Medical Care and Mental Health Services, Women Inmates: Living Conditions, Hygiene, Welfare and Sensitisation, Children Living with or Separated from Prisoners, Communication, Mulakat and Family Contact, Prison Administration, Legal Aid and Access to Justice, Gender-Responsive Facilities and Welfare Measures during Court Production of Women Inmates, Rehabilitation, Post-Release and Social Reintegration and Foreign National Inmates. The detailed Advisory may be accessed at https://nhrc.nic.in/flipbook/other_advisories/46
The NHRC urges all authorities concerned to implement the recommendations in the Advisory and furnish an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two months to keep it informed of the progress made.