BENGALURU: All is not well with women prisoners in Bengaluru Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara. In a structure that is designed for male prisoners, women get marginalised. Their needs and problems become secondary, even as the number of women prisoners is rising considerably.
With at least 20 of them crammed in each barrack and lacking proper care, helpless women prisoners are crying for attention. In this two-part series, The New Indian Express highlights the apathy of incarcerated pregnant women, many of whom end up delivering premature children or children with low birth weight, while some suffer even miscarriage. The other issue is about how these women need vocational courses, training and industries to come in so they can earn money to feed their children and families outside the prison.
The condition of women prisoners, who are pregnant, at the Bengaluru Central Prisons at Parappana Agrahara needs immediate attention.
Adjusting in a cramped space with just two bed sheets and one pillow to sleep on the floor, with the same food every other day, and filled with despair, anxiety and tension, pregnancy behind bars is not a pleasant experience for women who have wronged.
Few delivered at gates of the prison
Some of have had miscarriages, some premature deliveries, and few have even delivered at the gates of the prison. Narrating her story, Soumya (name changed) who is out on parole told The New Indian Express, "I got pregnant with my second baby when my second husband, who is also in prison for the same crime, and I were out on parole."
When she returned, she was totally unprepared for the pregnancy inside the prison.
"I have been in prison for the last three-and-a-half years. But, when I got to know I was pregnant, I felt lonely and terrified. I tried my best to keep myself calm and adjust there. The tension and environment there couldn’t stop me from being anxious," she says. Unfortunately, three-and-a-half months into her pregnancy, Soumya had a miscarriage on February 24.
There are 206 women prisoners and seven children below six years at the Bengaluru Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara. Twenty women, including transgenders, from various states are housed in one room with no raised beds or cots.
"Till the seventh month of our pregnancy, we have to sleep on the floor. In the eighth month, depending on the availability of beds inside the hospital area of the prison, we can use cots," says Chaya (name changed) from Sindhanoor, charged with murder, who was six months pregnant with her first child when she was sentenced for the crime.
In just two weeks, Chaya developed a severe pain and had to be immediately shifted to hospital. She collapsed and was unconscious for almost 10 days. She delivered a premature baby girl weighing less than 1 kg.
She says that while sleeping on the floor is one problem for pregnant women, the food served to them, though officials call it "nutritious", is unpalatable.
"We give them the food that is prescribed in the prison manual as per Supreme Court guidelines. We don't limit the quantity. We do serve eggs, vegetables, green leaves, fruits and legumes to them," said a senior official from Bengaluru prisons. However, Soumya explains that children in the prison are given extra care and the food given to them is more nutritious and healthy.
But for pregnant women, it is mostly the same food that is served to other prisoners. "We can choose from food sent for children, which includes legumes and sambar with veggies. Almost every other day, we are given green gram curry, which normally nauseates pregnant women," says Soumya.
Mothers who have recently delivered say it would be better if pregnant women are at least given good, tasty food once a week. Women who are from slightly affluent families can get their caretakers to send them fruits and other items. But there are many who come from poor financial backgrounds.
"Women behind bars are looked at in a demeaning way. Our families don’t care for us. During pregnancy, there are severe mood swings. Sense of loneliness and guilt haunts us. There are a few who can’t afford any fruit or dish from home. It would really help if we are given fruits on a daily basis," says a woman prisoner, who delivered recently.
Former Women's Commission chairperson Pramila Nesargi says, "Women inmates need access to a gynaecologist. Many inmates are living with children under the age of six so they need access to paediatricians as well as vaccines for their kids. Women also get isolated from their families far more than men do. They need access to mental health professionals for counselling, too. This was suggested many years ago."
While the prison has appointed five counselors and for routine health checks, they are sent to gynaecologists, women prisoners demand that they should have an in-house gynaecologist to attend to emergencies.
For instance, Aaina, charged with kidnapping, developed pains in the middle of the night in October last year. The prison staff struggled to get an ambulance and shift her to a hospital, and she delivered right at the gates of the prison. The prison staff and the lady doctor, however, managed to deliver a healthy baby boy.
Prison officials say there has been a proposal for tying up with Oxford Medical College in Attibele to send specialists – orthopaedics, gynaecologists, paediatricians and a cardiologist at least twice a week to the prison.
As of now, the prisoners are sent to Vani Vilas Hospital in KR Market for delivery and medical checkups. Prison authorities are aware of the situation, but claim helplessness in providing special provisions like cots, food choices, separate rooms for post delivery and pregnant women.
Women in rooms upstairs have to come all the way to the common tap outside the hospital to take a bucket of hot water. The rooms have two toilets which get water 24x7, but it is only cold water.
"During pregnancy, we have to depend on someone to fetch hot water for us. Only after the seventh month, can we move to rooms downstairs or to the hospital if there is a bed. Till then, many women have to fill water from the tap near the hospital room which gets hot water through solar," said a woman prisoner.
Prison officials told The New Indian Express, "We are trying our best to keep them comfortable. But we are also helpless. Once we move to the new premises, which is exclusively for women, we can afford to keep rooms separate for new mothers and pregnant women."