DCW recommends gated toilets, better facilities for Tihar's women inmates
(Sourced from PTI)
Covered and gated toilets inside cells, increase in number of lawyers, and restarting the Mulakaat program till COVID-19 cases are under control are some recommendations made by Delhi Commission for Women Chief Swati Maliwal for women lodged in Tihar Jail. In the recommendations sent to jail authorities and the government, Maliwal suggested hiring teachers for courses like fashion designing that were being run earlier.
As many as 276 women are lodged in Tihar Jail out of which 240 women are undertrials and 35 have been convicted by the court, a statement from the DCW said. Women lodged in Tihar manufacture items such as clothes, office files, biscuits, jewelry, etc. which are sold in various stores under the brand name of TJ's.
The panel recommended that these products should be widely promoted and government should encourage departments to buy Tihar products as it helps in rehabilitation and transformation process of women. "E-commerce websites should be approached to help sell these products on their respective platforms," she said.
Maliwal, who along with her team conducted an inspection of the women's jail, recommended that toddlers and young children living with their mothers inside the jail complex be provided the best care. "The jail has a well-equipped crèche but presently lacks teachers and caretakers and they need to be inducted to ensure proper care of these children," the Commission said.
"Considering the high number of women imprisoned in Tihar, the Commission recommends increasing the number of lawyers to five for better legal assistance," the panel said. Currently, two lawyers are deputed to visit the jail to assist women inmates.
Women engaged in different jail jobs are supposed to get minimum wages for their work done inside the jail. "However, the government deducts Rs. 340 from their wage as living expenses. which disincentivizes them," it said. "The Commission recommended that these charges should be done away with so that more and more women try to take up jobs in the jail," it added.
Apart from this, the Commission also recommended regular sensitization of the jail staff, adding more books to the library, and initiating the de-addiction programs within the prison. The team also met the DG prisons and the other senior officials to discuss the functioning of the Tihar Jail and the various challenges faced by the authorities.
