HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE CHILDREN OF WOMEN PRISONERS: A SOCIO-LEGAL STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE STATE OF HARYANA

AUTHOR – VIPUL* & PURNIMA TYAGI**

* STUDENT AT LAW COLLEGE DEHRADUN, UTTARANCHAL UNIVERSITY

** ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT LAW COLLEGE DEHRADUN, UTTARANCHAL UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – VIPUL & PURNIMA TYAGI, HUMAN RIGHTS OF THE CHILDREN OF WOMEN PRISONERS: A SOCIO-LEGAL STUDY WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE STATE OF HARYANA, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (8) OF 2026, PG. 874-880, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.

ABSTRACT

The children born to or residing with incarcerated mothers represent one of the most disadvantaged and underserved constituencies in the criminal justice ecosystem. This paper endeavours to conduct an all-encompassing socio-legal investigation of the human rights of the children of women prisoners, chiefly the prisons and the socio-legal milieu of the State of Haryana in India. Using the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989), the Bangkok Rules 2010, the constitutional framework of India and relevant statutes such as the Prisons Act, 1894, Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act, 2015 and Model Prison Manual, 2016, the study finds these children experience a wide range of rights violations from right to identity, education, health, right not to be discriminated and right to family. The writer integrates observations made during an empirical study of certain district jails in Haryana and a secondary jurisprudential analysis to show the glaring gaps in implementation of policy, infrastructure and legal protection. The research offers tips for legislative reform, institutional accountability, child-centred approaches to prison administration.

Keywords: Children of prisoners, women in prison, human rights, Haryana prisons, UNCRC, Bangkok Rules, child welfare, prison reforms, juvenile justice, India.