Bengaluru central jail inmates’ children now attend classes in barracks | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The women barracks at Bengaluru Central Prison have taken on an unusual splash of colour. Walls that were once bare are now painted with flowers, rainbows and fish, marking the setting up of a specialised childcare institute for children of women inmates.The centre, a collaboration between police and department of women and child development, has been functional for over two weeks. Seven children under the age of six, including two Nigerians, currently attend classes from 9.30am to 3.30pm.Officials said the aim is to ensure children living inside the prison are not affected by the environment. “We have several young children here, including a 15-day-old baby. The objective is to help them cope with the circumstances and ensure they do not feel like they are in a prison. Along with basic lessons, they are also given psychological counselling,” Alok Kumar, director-general of police, prison & correctional services, told TOI.“Karnataka is the first state to actually set up this centre,” said Dr Sneha CV, director, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), women and child development department. “We provide a child-friendly environment, preschool education, including Kannada, English and Hindi, an integrated play-cum-learning model along with moral education. There are also child-friendly wall paintings and toilets in the barracks,” she added.It was initially difficult to convince inmates to send their children to the facility. “Only two kids attended at first, but as word spread, the number has now gone up to seven,” she added.The centre also functions as an adoption facilitation point for mothers. In addition, the department is creating awareness among inmates about their rights and helpline numbers and is planning a sponsorship programme for older children living outside.“We see that many women inmates feel good looking at the colourful walls and their kids learning. We want to expand the programme to other central jails in Ballari, Mysuru etc,” the DGP said.