Karnataka: Child rights panel flags welfare of prison inmates’ children, seeks data in two weeks

Citing concerns over the welfare of children of inmates and undertrials in central prisons across the State, the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has directed the local Child Welfare Committee and the District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) to collect details of inmates’ families and submit a report within two weeks. 

Shashidhar Kosambe, chairman of the commission, visited the Parappana Agrahara Central Prison in Bengaluru on Thursday for inspection and held meetings with officials including child welfare committee members and prison officials.

10 prisons visited

“I have visited 10 central prisons in the State, including Parappana Agrahara in Bengaluru, Kalaburagi, Bellari, Vijayanagara, Vijayapura, Belagavi, Ramanagara, Chickballapur, and Bidar, where I spoke to the undertrial and convicted prisoners. They are worried about their children. Authorities in all the central prisons in the State should ensure that the children of the prisoners get education, health and rehabilitation assistance,” he said. 

Officials have been instructed to collect data on the number of prisoners’ children below 18 years of age, their health, education, and safety status and what different government departments can do for them.

Affected by HIV

According to him, 53 inmates of the Central Prison are infected with HIV. The officials were instructed to ensure that the children of the affected inmates receive ₹2,000 monthly to support their education and other financial needs.

During the inspection, it was found that the literacy programmes for the undertrial prisoners were inefficient. Following this, Mr. Kosambe instructed the officials to immediately replace the teachers who were negligent in their duties.