during the monitoring mission. Separation of mothers and children after the latter reach the age of 3 is a critical problem.173 Existing procedures are particularly painful for both children and their mothers. In order to protect the best interest of the child, it is crucial to ensure that the system will ease the procedures for children leaving the institution at the age of three. Separation should be flexible and needs based rather than rigid as the child’s best interest must be the first priority while making such decisions.174 Women prisoners must be able to undertake various measures to ensure guardianship of their children. The Bangkok Rules stipulate the possibility for a parole within reasonable timeframe. A balance between the child’s best interests and public interests promulgated by a penitentiary system must be the priority while making any decision.175 It is worth noting that female convicts placed in a building designated for convicted mothers often complain about the lack of products to prepare adequate meal for themselves and their children. There are cases when they take food for other prisoners. According to the staff working in the canteen explained that mothers are due a prisoner’s allowance, but they often turn it down. It is important that issues related to child nutrition are in line with the existing standards of the country as the State is responsible for taking care of children who are placed in a state institutions. Authorities must ensure that women prisoners have maximum contact with the outside world. In this regard, it is important that female prisoners enjoy the right to long term visitations exercised by male inmate. These issues are dealt in detail in a sub-chapter dedicated to long term visitations. According to the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules) prison administration must acknowledge that women prisoners representing various religions and cultures have specific needs.176 Prison administration should ensure the availability of those programames and services which meet the special needs. A process of the development of such programmes must be designed in a participatory manner with an active participation of beneficiaries. A prison environment should be comfortable rather than disturbing for such prisoners. Understandingly, a prison may cause discomfort in general but the environment should not violate religious or other beliefs or restrict beyond reasonable limits. It must be kept in mind that women prisoners do not have only gender-specific needs and therefore authorities must consider all the individual specifics which requires special treatment of female prisoners. 173 The Imprisonment Code of Georgia, Article 72 174 The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 3 175 UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), Rule 52.2 and 3 176 UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules), Rule 54 NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM OF GEORGIA 137