Kashimpur Women’s Central Jail is the country’s only specialised women’s prison and its first full-scale one. Alongside ordinary inmates, imprisoned mothers are allowed to keep their young children with them.
Sixty-two children, 27 boys and 35 girls, are currently growing up inside the prison’s four walls. There is a care centre and a classroom for them.
According to prison sources, there were 63 children in the jail in total. But on Tuesday, a girl who had spent seven years in prison with her mother in the case over the high-profile murder of Nusrat Jahan Rafi in Sonagazi, Feni, was released. That leaves 62 children in the jail.
Kamrunnahar Moni was arrested in the Nusrat Jahan Rafi murder case in 2019 when she was five months pregnant. She gave birth to a daughter in prison, whose life behind bars began in her mother’s womb. After seven long years, both have now been released.
“I am teaching my child from the class two books. I have taught her to read the Quran, and she has memorised the last part of the Quran,” Kamrunnahar Moni said after her release. “As a mother, I tried everything I could from inside the prison. I made my daughter a doll from a sock, because I could not afford to give her anything. She played with that doll. I cut up a dress and made her a school bag, and she carried it to school.”
According to sources at the Kashimpur women’s jail, it has a capacity of 212 but currently holds more than 750 inmates. Most of the women are accused in murder cases; there are also inmates held in drugs cases and other cases, as well as prisoners sentenced to death.
Ordinary inmates are housed in the Kalmilata building and death-row prisoners in the Madhabilata building. Among them, 62 children are spending their childhood behind the walls with more than 50 mothers. However, because the jail holds more inmates than its capacity, the children’s normal development is somewhat hampered.
A single-storey day-care centre has been set up for the children’s care and healthy development. It has a small playground, classroom, library and a range of play equipment, and offers primary education and recreation. The centre has teachers. Children over three are taught the alphabet and given primary education, along with dance, music and drawing.
“There are 62 children in our jail. There is a day-care centre for them, with teachers and nannies. They are raised with great care,” said Mosa. Aliva Sharmin, jailer of the Kashimpur women’s jail.
Md Nazrul Islam, additional jail superintendent of Kashimpur prison, told Jugantor that the necessary facilities are ensured for children living in prison with their mothers so that they can lead normal lives. Along with food, accommodation, education and recreation, there are day-care and school arrangements. The prison authorities also make sure that nothing hinders their physical and mental development, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report