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New Delhi, Nov 21 (IANS) With an aim to protect the rights of jailed women, National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar will lead a national consultation in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Saturday. The officers provided this information.
The consultation on “Laws Relating to Women in Prison”, which is a part of the nationwide review of NCW for 2025-26, aims to identify urgent reforms needed to strengthen the rights, welfare and dignity of women prisoners across India.
According to the NCW, women constitute 4.3 per cent of prisons, yet in many states they face significant systemic barriers, including overcrowded facilities, inadequate medical and mental-health services, lack of gender-sensitive infrastructure, poor sanitation and increased security vulnerabilities.
The national consultation will bring together experts, prison administrators and policy makers to deliberate on important reforms.
To ensure inclusivity and representation, NCW conducted eight regional consultations in Noida, Panaji, Aizawl, Patna, Bhopal, Patiala, Hyderabad and Dehradun. These consultations yielded more than 300 expert recommendations, out of which 205 major proposals will now be taken up in the national consultation.
The deliberations will focus on key laws, including the Model Prison Act 2023, the Prison Act 1894, the Model Prison Manual 2016, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2019 and the Repatriation of Prisoners Act 2003.
Key topics of the consultation include gender-sensitive corrections systems, better medical and mental-health support, rights of jailed mothers and their children, safe housing for transgender prisoners and humane treatment of foreign national prisoners.
The recommendations emerging from the consultation will contribute to the final report of the NCW to the Government of India.
During his visit to the UT starting on November 20, Rahatkar also led several important initiatives aimed at strengthening women safety and empowerment at the grassroots level.
His interactions included a meeting with Lieutenant Governor Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi (Retd) at the Raj Bhavan to discuss the ongoing initiatives and future roadmap to strengthen women welfare across the UT.
She also participated in a review meeting with DGP Hargobinder Singh Dhaliwal and the police leadership to assess the existing security mechanisms, enhance policing responses and strengthen institutional coordination for women safety.
The Chairperson also participated in a gender sensitization workshop for police personnel at Sri Vijaya Puram to enhance police awareness, sensitivity and accountability in handling cases related to women.
–IANS
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