KOCHI: After nearly five years in prison, the time arrived for the boy to be separated from his mother. Prison officials accompanied the two to a care home for children. “He cried as they said their goodbyes,” recounted an official closely associated with the case from nearly 10 years back.
Two days later, the official returned with gifts and books. But, the boy would have nothing of it. “He kept crying, calling out for his mother. He had lived with her all his life. Suddenly, one morning, she was no longer there.” There are currently five children living in the state’s jails with their incarcerated mothers — four at the women’s prison in Thiruvananthapuram and one at the women’s prison in Viyyur. All five are boys and below the age of three.
Their presence demands a difficult balancing act: creating an environment conducive for them to have a normal childhood, while ensuring their safety and development in spaces designated for inmates.
At Thiruvananthapuram prison, the four children have access to a creche. “The children mostly keep to their mothers. They also spend time at the creche and with other inmates. But the pressures of prison life can throw up the possibility of impropriety. So we try to keep the children with their mothers as much as possible, as we keep watch,” an official at the facility said.
The children receive medical and special dietary attention when required. Pregnant women, lactating mothers and children are also provided special food, while the creche provides space for play and age-appropriate activities.
But as the children grow, the question of education raises another challenge — staff shortage. While the kids can be sent to an anganwadi after turning three, taking them outside the prison every day requires escort. “A staff member must accompany a child to an anganwadi outside the prison walls. With court and hospital duties and staff shortages, it becomes difficult to do that on a daily basis,” the official said.
A teacher who conducts literacy classes for inmates can also tutor children after they reach the appropriate age. If a child is unwilling to attend an anganwadi outside, authorities may utilise the services of an inmate willing to teach the child. But the prison cannot be their permanent home.
Once children turn six, authorities either hand them over to relatives or place them under the care of the Child Welfare Committee. And that is when the real separation begins.
Prison officials can facilitate meetings between mothers and children, but escort requirements and staff constraints can make frequent visits difficult. Officials said they try to arrange visits and parole during periods when children are on vacation. For the children roaming the prisons, the parting may still be some years away. But, for their mothers, the countdown begins as soon as they are born.