Date:27/01/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/01/27/stories/2005012712020300.htm

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

A fresh start for former women convicts

By R. Sujatha

CHENNAI, JAN. 26. They were the victims of both the legal system and of society, ending up in jail. But help is at hand for women convicts, some of whom served seven years in jail.

Six such women have completed a course in garment designing and were absorbed by garment units in and around Chennai. The younger they are, the brighter their future, says V. Nagarajan, principal of the Apparel Training and Design Centre, sponsored by the Textile Ministry's Apparel Export Promotion Council.

While the first woman convict who underwent the course has set up her own shop, three others have received placement orders, thanks to the financial support from the Balaji Seva Trust, a Chennai-based non-government organisation.

An 18-year-old from a village near Madurai had left her home to work as a domestic servant. Instead, she landed in a brothel. The girl says if her father, brother and sister's husband had returned home regularly she would not have left the house. She spent six months in jail. She was then rescued by the Trust.

"The prisoner should be poor and her conduct during the (prison) term should be good," says V. Vaikunth, managing trustee, when asked about the criteria for selection. He writes to the superintendent of police in the area asking for arrest details. It may be difficult for ordinary people to get such information. But as a former police officer it is possible for him, says this former Director General of Police. "I am doing the job of the Discharged Prisoners Aid Society on a personal level," Mr. Vaikunth says.

Raji (name changed) of Vaniyambadi went to jail because her husband's family blamed her for her mother-in-law's death. "I was in Bangalore then. She was hit in the head and she died. I was two months pregnant when I went to the prison." Her daughter will soon go to school and she is assured of a salary of Rs. 3,000 a month in a garment export unit.

The ATDC has waived the course fee for the women because it is promoting a cause. "It is a struggle. You take up a cause and you fight," Mr. Vaikunth says.

He pays for the women's upkeep, until they are economically independent, through his trust. The next batch is currently being screened.