It would appear that no one, from the jail authorities to even the families of some of the prisoners, is concerned that they get their rights and at the very least humane conditions to live in. These women are not provided with qualified lady doctors. There are also no separate juvenile cells for girls under 18, exposing them then to the more hardened prisoners, which can hardly help with their rehabilitation, and, in fact, may even have adverse effects on them.
It must be kept in mind that some of these prisoners may be released at some time in the future, and the aim behind imprisoning them should be to rehabilitate them, make them better persons and equip them with the tools to be productive members of society. Punjab’s caretaker chief minister has taken notice of the issue, stressing rehabilitation of women prisoners and one can only hope that the incoming government will also give the issue of prison reforms due attention, giving the detainees their rights, for only then can the state say that it fulfills its responsibilities to the people.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2013.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ