In India, women inmates are legally permitted to keep their children with them in prison until the age of six. While this policy is meant to preserve the mother-child bond, the reality inside prisons paints a very different picture.
The prison environment is inherently restrictive and not designed for young children. These innocent lives grow up in confined, overstimulated or understimulated settings, with little access to fresh air, learning, play, or emotional nurturing. Lacking structured early childhood care, emotional support, and developmental activities, these children are at high risk of delays, trauma, and social isolation.
When they turn six, most children are abruptly separated from their mothers and placed in government shelters or orphanages—often without emotional preparation or proper transition. This sudden shift can cause deep psychological distress, identity confusion, and long-term vulnerability, especially in the absence of follow-up care or reintegration plans.
To address this urgent and overlooked issue, the Indian Institute of Technology Jodhpur launched a pilot project:
“Empowering Children in Jodhpur Women Central Jail: Pathways to Support and Care.” With seed support from PrisonKids e.V., Germany, this initiative currently offers monthly visits, distributing fruit, providing sanitary aid to mothers, and beginning to build meaningful engagement between volunteers and families.
Through this project, critical gaps have been revealed:
Poor nutrition and healthcare for children
No access to early education or play-based learning
No psychological support for mother or child
Abrupt, unsupported separations
No systems for post-separation tracking or care
Untrained staff unprepared to support child development
To build a sustainable, child-focused support system, we urgently need:
Regular developmental sessions and nutrition monitoring
Emotional and psychological care for both mother and child
A humane, child-sensitive transition and reintegration plan
Policy advocacy to scale and institutionalize best practices
This is a call to CSR partners, philanthropic foundations, and concerned citizens to help scale a replicable model across Rajasthan—and eventually across India. With your support, we can protect the rights, futures, and humanity of some of the most invisible children in our country.
Let’s not allow birth behind bars to define a child’s entire life.
Let’s build a support system that sets them Born Free.