Why the death penalty makes nobody safer; African Commission on Human and People’s Rights; opportunities, news and more...
October 2024 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls - together we can build collective power and amplify voices to end the over-incarceration of women and girls worldwide.
Dear Friends
Earlier this month, on 10 October, we marked the 22nd World Day Against the Death Penalty. This day unites campaigners and abolitionists worldwide to promote the global movement that advocates for the abolition of capital punishment. This year's World Day Against the Death Penalty was “dedicated to challenging the misconception that the death penalty can make people and communities safer.” Instead of protecting societies, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty highlights that capital punishment “threatens human dignity and reinforces social and economic disparities by disproportionately affecting marginalised groups.”
There are around 500 women on death row worldwide in at least 42 countries. An Amnesty International report recorded 1,153 known executions in 2023 which was a 31% increase from 883 the previous year. Whilst the significant majority of these executions were men, it is important to note that incarcerated women are still very much impacted by the death penalty. In 2023, women were known to have been executed in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. One of these women, Samira Sabzian Fard, was sentenced to death in relation to the murder of the man she was forced to marry as a victim of child marriage at the age of fifteen. Another notable impact on women reported by Amnesty is the execution of at least six people in connection with the ‘Woman Life Freedom’ Protests of 2022. The use of execution as a punishment for these protests, which saw people across Iran “challenge decades of oppression and gender-based discrimination, is seen as a “tool of oppression to terrorise the public.”
At Women Beyond Walls we continue to advocate for women impacted by capital punishment and call for the abolition of the death penalty. The World Coalition Against the Death Penalty has some helpful tools and guidance for joining the movement which can be used at any time - these include organising or joining campaigning events, lobbying politicians and amplifying voices aiming to end the death penalty on social media.
Our podcast series features the voices of women impacted by the death penalty and feminist lawyers.
Women Beyond Walls news
In October, we were honoured to attend the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights as part of the Gender Working Group of the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. We delivered a statement raising concerns about women on death row on behalf of the Gender Working Group, which contains 16 organisations from Africa. We also met with several Commissioners to discuss recommendations to combat the over-incarceration of women. We attended several panel discussions, such as the 10 year commemoration of the Luanda Guidelines - Guidelines on the Conditions of Arrest, Police Custody and Pre-Trial Detention in Africa organised by APCOF, and a Redress panel exposing arbitrary detention and torture in Egypt.
We had a poignant visit to meet with women detained in Mile 2 prison, facilitated by the Female Lawyers Association of Gambia.
In October, we also moderated a panel discussion organised by GQUAL and Purpose about women’s leadership and equal participation in law - at the national and international levels. Did you know that just 4 of 15 International Court of Justice judges are women and that the UK has never appointed a woman judge to the European Court of Human Rights? Having more women in the law is more step forward to create a more gender-responsive justice system.
News from around the world
Kenya - Reports suggest that campaigns in parliament which aim to abolish the death penalty are “gaining momentum”. For more information, see ICJ Kenya.
Pakistan - Justice Project Pakistan marked World Day Against the Death Penalty with a three day immersive escape room style event. The escape room experience aimed to “educate participants on the flaws of Pakistan’s criminal justice system, particularly highlighting the intersections between custodial torture and the death penalty.” The event successfully engaged over 328 attendees.
UK - The UK government has launched a Landmark Sentencing Review which aims to end the crisis of overcrowded prisons. Women in Prison UK’s CEO Sonya Ruparel notes this as a “pivotal moment and significant opportunity to transform the way women are treated by the criminal justice system.”
USA - University of Illinois Chicago faculty and students collaborated with incarcerated women at the Cook County Department of Corrections through a summer workshop of art and poetry. The facility’s RESTORE program, which aims to help women make positive life changes whilst incarcerated, saw 35 participants involved in the workshop. You can read more about the event and initiative here.
USA - US store Goodwill has opened its first ever store at the Elmwood Correctional Facility in Milpitas this month, providing incarcerated women in the facility with hands-on training in retail assistance. The store will also provide women being released with free clothes.
Worldwide - Earlier this month the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a historic resolution “recognising the human rights and dignity of the millions of people globally who will reintegrate from custody or supervision using people-centred language to establish the need for support that ensure reintegration is about dignity, opportunity and human rights for all.” Reform Alliance spearheaded the effort alongside Costa Rica, a coalition of United Nations member states, Perseus Strategies, and INHR. Women Beyond Walls were proud to support this important initiative.
Opportunities
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a call for inputs for the upcoming report to the Human Rights Council on violence against women in detention. Deadline: 13 November 2024. Feel free to contact Women Beyond Walls if you need any help with your submission.
St Giles Trust are recruiting a Women’s Specialist Trainer Caseworker in Leeds, UK. The role provides holistic support for women leaving prison.
Another UK-based role - Hibiscus Initiatives are recruiting a Policy and Public Affairs Specialist based in London. Hibiscus Initiatives delivers advocacy and advice services for women at the intersection of the Criminal Justice System and Immigration systems.
Media and literature recommendations
The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) – together with the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS) and the Commonwealth Secretariat (ComSec) have published A Practitioner’s Guide: A human rights-based approach to criminal law, including the decriminalisation of conduct associated with poverty and status. The publication aims to be a practical guide for legal practitioners advocating for “the repeal of laws, reform of policies and change in practices, that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.”
Doughty Street Chambers and Level Up have produced a valuable toolkit on representing pregnant women and mothers in the criminal justice system.
Read a recent article published on the use of the Death Penalty in Nigeria and how it “no longer serves its purpose.” The article notes the 73 women who are currently on death row across correctional facilities in Nigeria.
Hope Behind Bars Africa shared a powerful video discussing the death penalty with young Nigerians.
Another important read - the declaration by the Youth Ambassadors for the Abolition of the Death Penalty, calling for the universal abolition of the death penalty in all circumstances. They highlight that the death penalty is an “inhumane, discriminatory and irreversible form of punishment” that stands in violation of the principles of justice, human rights and equality which should guide societies globally.
A BBC article on the impact of imprisonment on incarcerated women in the UK.
Read USA Today’s interesting opinion piece from former United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the struggles for incarcerated women in a criminal justice system that is “built around the needs of men.” Loretta highlights the impact of trauma and abuse on the rates of incarceration for women, the unique health-related needs women have that prisons struggle to address, and the increased destabilisation of families as a result of female incarceration as women are twice as likely to be primary caregivers.
A powerful piece by Bahar Mirhossenion on how women are leading the resistance against executions in Iran.
Thank you for following our newsletter, if you find it useful please share it with friends. Please also continue to share your news and important work that you want to be featured and tag us on social media so we can support and amplify.
With gratitude to the community,
The Women Beyond Walls Team