NHRC issues advisory on human rights of women prisoners and their children

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued an advisory on 28 October 2026 on the 'Protection of Human Rights of Female Inmates and their Children', addressed to nine Union Ministries, to the Chief Secretaries and Administrators of all States and Union Territories, and to the Directors General of Police. The advisory states that women prisoners form a particularly vulnerable group within the prison population and require gender-responsive treatment, extending beyond custodial safeguards to humane living conditions, maternal and child healthcare, family contact, access to justice, and rehabilitation.

It sets out ten areas for action, covering procedures at arrest and prison entry, record-keeping on inmates and their children, health and mental-health care, hygiene and welfare, the care of children living with or separated from incarcerated mothers, communication and family visits, prison administration, legal aid, and gender-responsive arrangements during court production and after release, including for foreign national inmates. The NHRC has asked every addressee to implement its recommendations and to submit an Action Taken Report within two months, reporting progress on the measures taken.