HYDERABAD: A cradle ceremony is a joyous occasion and nothing can dampen the joy even if it happens in a jail. Two babies born in the Special Prison for Women, Chanchalguda are the cynosure of all eyes.
While one baby was born to a convict who has been sentenced to a one-year jail term, another was born to an undertrial who had come to the prison in the ninth month of her pregnancy. When the women complained of pain, prison authorities took them to the Government Maternity Hospital for delivery.
After the delivery, the women are back in prison. "The cradle ceremony performed for the babies was a joyous occasion for all the inmates in the prison," a jail source told STOI. New clothes were bought for the babies and, of course, there were new toys too.
It is not just these two infants but there are 18 more children in the prison on whom the inmates dote. All of the children are aged below three years. According to prison authorities, there are 260 prisoners in the jail out of which 112 are convicts and the rest undertrials.
With as many as 20 toddlers now in the women's jail, the inmates, it is learnt, keep themselves busy doting on the little ones. At the play school on the jail premises, two teachers take care of the children, while the infants stick to their mothers.
Children aged above three years are sent to nearby schools outside the jail. However, this year there are no children in this age group, so prison authorities are not hassled to look for school admissions and bother about their transport.
As a rule, women prisoners can keep their children in the jail itself until they reach the age of five. After that, the children will have to be sent to their families or relatives. If the women make a request that some arrangement be made to take care of their children
There are a couple of voluntary organizations that take the children from the jail and provide them with all that they need, including education. When a woman prisoner is released, she can take back her child from the voluntary organizations.
According to sources, the undertrial woman who delivered a baby recently, was sent to jail in a murder case. Her family, it is learnt, was not even in a position to apply for her bail as a result of which the pregnant woman had to be in the prison.
Children of women convicts and remand prisoners in the jail are given a special diet, including milk. Food that is prepared especially for them has less 'mirchi' and prison authorities serve the children what they prefer to eat. As for their mothers, they have to serve the jail sentence dished out to them.
While one baby was born to a convict who has been sentenced to a one-year jail term, another was born to an undertrial who had come to the prison in the ninth month of her pregnancy. When the women complained of pain, prison authorities took them to the Government Maternity Hospital for delivery.
After the delivery, the women are back in prison. "The cradle ceremony performed for the babies was a joyous occasion for all the inmates in the prison," a jail source told STOI. New clothes were bought for the babies and, of course, there were new toys too.
It is not just these two infants but there are 18 more children in the prison on whom the inmates dote. All of the children are aged below three years. According to prison authorities, there are 260 prisoners in the jail out of which 112 are convicts and the rest undertrials.
With as many as 20 toddlers now in the women's jail, the inmates, it is learnt, keep themselves busy doting on the little ones. At the play school on the jail premises, two teachers take care of the children, while the infants stick to their mothers.
Children aged above three years are sent to nearby schools outside the jail. However, this year there are no children in this age group, so prison authorities are not hassled to look for school admissions and bother about their transport.
As a rule, women prisoners can keep their children in the jail itself until they reach the age of five. After that, the children will have to be sent to their families or relatives. If the women make a request that some arrangement be made to take care of their children
There are a couple of voluntary organizations that take the children from the jail and provide them with all that they need, including education. When a woman prisoner is released, she can take back her child from the voluntary organizations.
According to sources, the undertrial woman who delivered a baby recently, was sent to jail in a murder case. Her family, it is learnt, was not even in a position to apply for her bail as a result of which the pregnant woman had to be in the prison.
Children of women convicts and remand prisoners in the jail are given a special diet, including milk. Food that is prepared especially for them has less 'mirchi' and prison authorities serve the children what they prefer to eat. As for their mothers, they have to serve the jail sentence dished out to them.
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