Haryana jails unfit for women; women’s panel drafts report

The commission has sought information on issues, such as lack of hygiene and cleanliness in female wards, the number of HIV positive women inmates, the treatment they receive, whether or not internal compliance committees have been formed to address cases of sexual harassment, among others.

A majority of the 19 prisons operating in the state lack adequate facilities for women prisoners, according to the state commission for women, which is preparing a report on the living conditions and the availability of amenities for women convicts in the prisons.

The commission also found that the district prison of Sonepat was the only prison that was testing prisoners for HIV before admitting them, said officials. (HT file photo)

The commission has sought information on issues, such as lack of hygiene and cleanliness in female wards, the number of HIV positive women inmates, the treatment they receive, whether or not internal compliance committees have been formed to address cases of sexual harassment, among others. Based on the information, a detailed report on the findings and recommendations would be compiled, said officials of the commission.

“Most prisons in the state lack proper health facilities for women, such as the availability of gynaecologists, psychologists or even round-the-clock medical officers,” said Preeti Bhardwaj, vice-chairperson of the commission, who said the commission has been surveying the state’s prisons for the past one year, and has made recommendations for the improvement of the treatment of incarcerated women, who make up for less than 10% of the total number of inmates in each prison.

Details of pension given to the children of convicted female inmates and similar other welfare schemes, skill development initiatives for incarcerated women, the number of camps and sessions held for women to address legal, medical and psychological issues and the number of custodial deaths and the circumstances behind them were a few of the other issues on which information has been sought by the commission.

The commission also found that the district prison of Sonepat was the only prison that was testing prisoners for HIV before admitting them, said officials.

A report by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), released earlier this month, also found that there were no permanent women doctors in any of the prisons in the state. The report pointed to the lack of separate enclosures for women in four of the 19 prisons and the fact that women prisoners in the district prison in Karnal weren’t being provided sanitary napkins. The report recommended the setting up of separate women prisons and a greater focus on the mental health of prisoners.

Narendra Singh, secretary, District Legal Services Authority(DLSA), which looks after the Bhondsi prison, said there is no permanent gynaecologist there currently. However, a medical doctor for women visits every week. “There is a need for a gynaecologist and a paediatrician for the children of women inmates at the prison,” he said, adding that the recommendations made by the CHRI and the commission will be adopted. “A woman prisoner has been appointed as a paralegal volunteer and all the legal requirements for women are communicated through her,” he said.