Pariksha SaathiNHRC issues an Advisory on the 'Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children', seeks Action Taken Reports within two months
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 and to the Chief Secretaries/Administrators and Directors General of Police (DGPs) of all States and Union Territories, the Commission said on 28 October 2026. The NHRC emphasised that the rights and needs of prisoners, including 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 called for humane prison conditions, adequate maternal and child healthcare, access to justice, preservation of family ties, protection of children's best interests, and meaningful opportunities for rehabilitation and social reintegration. The Advisory focuses on ten broad areas for action: 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 NHRC has urged all authorities concerned to implement the recommendations in the Advisory and to furnish an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two months to keep it informed of the progress made.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
On 17 October 2025 the NHRC reported that it had organised a National Conference on 'Human Rights for Prison Inmates' in New Delhi. Chairing it, NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian said that the Commission would now work on an advisory to the central and state governments for prison reforms and also evolve a mechanism for monitoring the progress. Quoting the National Crime Records Bureau's Prison Statistics India 2022 report, released in December 2023, he said that prison occupancy had risen to 131.4% of the actual capacity of 1,330 prisons in 2022, and he cited the 'Model Prisons and Correctional Services Act', prepared by the Union Government in 2023 and shared with all States and Union Territories to modify their respective Prison Acts. A session on 'Female inmates and their children: Strengthening institutional framework for gender-sensitive prison reforms' was chaired by Meeran Chadha Borwankar, former DG, BPRD, and NHRC Core Group Member; the points emphasised included concerns over the lack of reliable data on children living with their mothers in prisons, the need for a National Policy on Custodial Women, improved medical and mental health care, menstrual hygiene, need-based arrests, interim bail for pregnant or lactating women and greater dignity in post-release rehabilitation.
Check yourself: who chaired the NHRC's National Conference on the human rights of prison inmates reported on 17 October 2025, and what did he say the Commission would now work on?
NHRC Chairperson Justice V. Ramasubramanian; an advisory to the central and state governments for prison reforms, along with a mechanism for monitoring the progress.
Revision task: from this release, note to whom the Advisory was issued, what the NHRC says women prisoners and their children need beyond custodial safeguards, the ten areas for action and the deadline for Action Taken Reports; from the note, who chaired the October 2025 conference, the prison occupancy figure for 2022, the model prison law prepared in 2023 and the points raised on female inmates and their children.
Test yourself
Within what period has the NHRC asked the authorities concerned to furnish an Action Taken Report on its Advisory on the 'Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children'?
Show the answer
Answer: Two months
The NHRC urged all authorities concerned to implement the recommendations in the Advisory and to furnish an Action Taken Report (ATR) within two months to keep it informed of the progress made. The Advisory, issued to nine Union Ministries and to the Chief Secretaries/Administrators and DGPs of all States and UTs, focuses on ten broad areas for action.
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