Some women use drugs. No women need violence.
Stop violence against women who use drugs.
As we approach the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the UN Bangkok Rules, we, the undersigned, express alarm at the increase in the global female prison population by around 100,000 since the adoption of the Rules – which aim to reduce the imprisonment of women – and the continuing discrimination and abuse experienced by women in criminal justice systems.
We call on all governments to review their laws, policies and practices with a view to fully implementing the UN Bangkok Rules, and work to ensure the rights of women that come into contact with the criminal justice system. Specifically, we call for governments to urgently:
1. Reduce the imprisonment of women by ensuring laws and policies promote diversion for low level offences; consider mitigating factors such as a lack of criminal history, relative non-severity and nature of the crime, caretaking responsibilities and typical backgrounds in sentencing of women; and use gender-sensitive alternatives which address the most common causes of offending as a first response both pre-trial and post-conviction.
2. Promote the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women by ensuring gender-specific classification methods are used to facilitate the appropriate and individualised planning and implementation of programmes towards early rehabilitation, treatment and reintegration into society, and that prison and probation staff are trained to address the special social reintegration requirements of women.
3. Ensure women’s rights are respected at all stages of the criminal justice system, including during detention. Search procedures must respect a woman’s dignity and be carried out by female staff. Appropriate healthcare must be provided, including pre- and post-natal care. Measures should also be in place to prevent and report any violence or mistreatment, including through monitoring bodies and increased contact with community services.
4. Facilitate mental healthcare provision in prison and undertake specific efforts to mitigate negative mental health impacts of COVID-19 measures affecting women, including by working with community-based services. Mental health crisis plans, and longer-term mental health provision needs to be prioritised, with healthcare plans developed by healthcare staff together with women in prison and staff.
The number of women in prison is rising at an alarming rate, even though women are typically convicted of low-level non-violent crimes. Women are disproportionately impacted by punitive drug policies and often commit crimes in poverty to keep themselves and their families alive. Many find themselves in prison as a direct result of discrimination.
As a minority in prisons, representing on average 2-9% of national prison populations, women are often not provided with access to programmes and services to support their rehabilitation that address their specific needs and characteristics. There is also a mental health crisis among women in prison, with up to 80% living with an identifiable mental illness, which has been compounded by measures related to preventing and addressing the spread of COVID-19.
Women around the world continue to face threats to their dignity and humanity in detention. They are often unable to access adequate healthcare and are at particularly high risk of sexual assault and humiliation in prison. In some countries, women are even restrained during labour and birth or placed in solitary confinement whilst pregnant or caring for an infant child.
We therefore call for the full implementation of the UN Bangkok Rules and, specifically, the recommendations above to urgently reduce the number of women in prison and end the hardship they face.
We call on all governments to review their laws, policies and practices with a view to fully implementing the UN Bangkok Rules, and work to ensure the rights of women that come into contact with the criminal justice system. Specifically, we call for governments to urgently:
1. Reduce the imprisonment of women by ensuring laws and policies promote diversion for low level offences; consider mitigating factors such as a lack of criminal history, relative non-severity and nature of the crime, caretaking responsibilities and typical backgrounds in sentencing of women; and use gender-sensitive alternatives which address the most common causes of offending as a first response both pre-trial and post-conviction.
2. Promote the rehabilitation and social reintegration of women by ensuring gender-specific classification methods are used to facilitate the appropriate and individualised planning and implementation of programmes towards early rehabilitation, treatment and reintegration into society, and that prison and probation staff are trained to address the special social reintegration requirements of women.
3. Ensure women’s rights are respected at all stages of the criminal justice system, including during detention. Search procedures must respect a woman’s dignity and be carried out by female staff. Appropriate healthcare must be provided, including pre- and post-natal care. Measures should also be in place to prevent and report any violence or mistreatment, including through monitoring bodies and increased contact with community services.
4. Facilitate mental healthcare provision in prison and undertake specific efforts to mitigate negative mental health impacts of COVID-19 measures affecting women, including by working with community-based services. Mental health crisis plans, and longer-term mental health provision needs to be prioritised, with healthcare plans developed by healthcare staff together with women in prison and staff.
The number of women in prison is rising at an alarming rate, even though women are typically convicted of low-level non-violent crimes. Women are disproportionately impacted by punitive drug policies and often commit crimes in poverty to keep themselves and their families alive. Many find themselves in prison as a direct result of discrimination.
As a minority in prisons, representing on average 2-9% of national prison populations, women are often not provided with access to programmes and services to support their rehabilitation that address their specific needs and characteristics. There is also a mental health crisis among women in prison, with up to 80% living with an identifiable mental illness, which has been compounded by measures related to preventing and addressing the spread of COVID-19.
Women around the world continue to face threats to their dignity and humanity in detention. They are often unable to access adequate healthcare and are at particularly high risk of sexual assault and humiliation in prison. In some countries, women are even restrained during labour and birth or placed in solitary confinement whilst pregnant or caring for an infant child.
We therefore call for the full implementation of the UN Bangkok Rules and, specifically, the recommendations above to urgently reduce the number of women in prison and end the hardship they face.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSey1YSlji_RFoXOCKk_ZqHp1qbQ7rp1dwe8yGFNJ2HIAOC7eA/viewform
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2020 Campaign to eliminate violence against women who use drugs 25/11- 10/12 #16days
Some women use drugs. No women need violence.
Stop violence against women who use drugs.
November 25, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against
Women, marks the beginning of 16 days of action through to December 10,
International Human Rights Day.
The EuroNPUD women and WHRIN team up again in 2020 for the campaign against women who use drugs. For 16 days we wear something orange (to pick up on the international theme colour of the UN Campaign) we organise events and various actions (on line or not depending on #covid19), fighting against violence and stigma.
Join us!
Some women use drugs. No women need violence.
Stop violence against women who use drugs.
EuroNPUD Women from:
Metzineres from Spain
PeerNUPS from Greece
Chemical Sisters from Italy
GAT and @CASO RGANIZADOS from Portugal
PoliNPDU from Poland
@16dayswud https://www.facebook.com/16daysWUD
#16days #stopviolenceagainstwomen #womenusedrugs
#whrinetwork #EuroNPUDwomen
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Call to Action: Protect the human rights of women in the criminal justice system https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSey1YSlji_RFoXOCKk_ZqHp1qbQ7rp1dwe8yGFNJ2HIAOC7eA/viewform
The Bangok Rules https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/BangkokRules.pdf
The Bangkok Rules; United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders with their Commentary" (PDF). UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Retrieved 2019-01-23.
