Feminine Hygiene in Prisons
“A prisoner is required to be treated as a human being entitled to all the basic human rights, human dignity and human sympathy”
A prison is a correctional facility meant to house individuals who break the law. The purpose of prisons is the reformation of inmates. Prison systems are primarily designed to cater to men and are not well equipped to address the particular needs of women in prison. As per latest data available, Indian prisons were home to 17,834 women. Only 17% of these women live in exclusively female prisons, while the majority are housed in female enclosures of general prisons.
There is national and international agreement that the condition of prisons and of women living in them needs urgent improvement.
“There is a huge shortage of staff in almost every jail of the country”
The lack of staff in the context of women prisoners translates to the reality that male staff often becomes responsible for female inmates, which is undesirable. The presence of women inmates necessitates gender-specific services, which should be provided by female staff. Hiring of female prison staff should be made a priority. As a temporary measure, prison administrations may consider linking prisons with female doctors, gynecologists, ANMs, teachers, psychologists, socio-legal counsellors, NGOs etc. in the local area to ensure that women prisoners are not bereft of these basic services.
“There are usually a small number of bathrooms and toilets catering to a disproportionately large prison population”
Most jails lack in basic facilities of sanitation and hygiene. While the prescription in the Prison Manual is to ensure one toilet and one bathing cubicle for every 10 prisoners, this is rarely seen on the ground. There are usually a small number of bathrooms and toilets catering to a disproportionately large prison population. Women’s toilets should also have safe entrances and be situated in secure areas away from male intervention, which is not always the case.
The National Prison Manual further estimates prescribes that women prisoners may have a bath or shower as frequently as necessary. In reality, there is a lack of sufficient water, which exacerbates the low levels of sanitation and hygiene. The National Prison Manual prescribes that thorough cleaning, disinfection and pest control of the inmates’ accommodation must be done periodically. It is often found that prisoners themselves are made to clean the toilets, bathrooms and barracks. It is found that prisoners are often provided with very limited clothing, and do not have the opportunity to wash these clothes regularly.
It is essential to note that a large majority (81.8%) of female prisoners fall in the menstruating age group of 18–50 years, increasing their need for proper sanitation facilities as well as access to adequate menstrual hygiene products. They are to be provided with sterilized sanitary napkins as per their requirement, but this is largely missing. Women are reportedly charged for sanitary napkins in some prisons or are only provided a set monthly number irrespective of need. During a conversation at a women’s prison in Punjab, several women prisoners told that they had paid Rs 10 each for a packet of sanitary napkins from the canteen. Each packet contained three pads of 240 mm length, which were inadequate in size and number. These
women were dependent on family members to provide quality sanitary pads during visits, or would have no choice but to resort to using making their own pads from old clothes. This leads women to resort to using unhygienic materials such as cloth, ash, pieces of old mattresses, newspapers etc.
“Women’s health needs, covering mental, physical, sexual and reproductive health, require particular attention.”
BETTER LIVING ARRANGEMENTS
Effective menstrual hygiene management in prisons calls upon prison administrations to ensure access to clean water and basic facilities, provide quality and sufficient quantity of sanitary pads, implement mechanisms for proper disposal of used pads, as well as ascertain reproductive health of women prisoners through regular doctor visits and raise awareness among the prison staff and prisoners on issues of menstrual hygiene. Menstrual hygiene management in prisons, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, must be prioritized by prison administrators across the country.
State prison manuals must be updated and strictly implemented to provide basic entitlements to all women prisoners including appropriate living quarters, bedding, toilets, outside area etc.
The prison doctor or competent public health body should regularly inspect and advise the Superintendent on the quantity, quality, preparation and service of food; hygiene and cleanliness of the institution and the prisoners; sanitation, temperature, lighting and ventilation of the prison; and suitability and cleanliness of the prisoners’ clothing and bedding.
“There is no justification in aggravating the suffering already inherent in the process of incarceration”
It is clear from that the needs of women prisoners are often overlooked by penal institutions, by governmental policy makers, and by the international community. There is an urgent need to undertake measures to overhaul the existing sanitary and hygienic conditions in Indian jails.
“Given the nature of the major problems affecting women prisoners — physical and mental health, hygiene and sanitation, lack of staff — it’s the joint responsibility of the state departments of health, women and child welfare, home affairs, and education to step up. Prisoners aren’t constituencies for governments because they cannot mobilize to ask for their rights. But they are citizens, and have basic human rights, just like everybody else.”
