Will we ever see full abolition of the death penalty? Which criminal laws target or disproportionately impact women?
October 2023 newsletter from Women Beyond Walls - together we can build collective power and amplify voices to end the over-incarceration of women and girls worldwide.
Hello Friends,
The 21st annual World Day Against the Death Penalty was held on 10 October, 2023.
The death penalty disproportionately affects marginalised and vulnerable groups, including women, minorities, and individuals with limited access to legal resources. It exacerbates existing systemic inequalities within the criminal justice system. While women make up a smaller percentage on death row than men, a 2023 World Coalition Against the Death Penalty report shows over the past ten years, 14 countries have executed women. They observed women on death row are present in most countries that retain the death penalty.
112 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. More than two-thirds are abolitionist in law or practice. The death penalty is a punishment that breaches the most fundamental human right to life. Women Beyond Walls advocates for all countries that still retain the death penalty to fully abolish it.
Here are some more resources on women on death row:
Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, Judged for More Than Her Crime: A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty
Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide, “No One Believed Me”: A Global Overview of Women Facing the Death Penalty for Drug Offenses
Sabrina Mahtani, The battle to save women on Death Row is part of the fight against gendered violence, gal-dem
Sabrina Mahtani, The Invisibles: Women on Death Row in Africa
World Coalition organised a fantastic webinar, “The Death Penalty: An Irreversible Torture”, bringing together UN Special Rapporteurs and exonerees. The World Coalition also has various other useful resources on its website.
News from around the world
Africa: Penal Reform International held a Regional Conference in Uganda on the “Rights of Women in the Criminal Justice System”. Their final communique provides key recommendations and next steps to reduce the impact of incarceration on women and girls.
Malaysia: Malaysia recently moved to abolish the mandatory death penalty, but it remains a sentencing option. Check out our 2022 podcast episode featuring lawyer Samatha Chong who speaks on the need to challenge the death penalty for drug offences.
Singapore: Family members of prisoners on Singapore’s death row are calling on the Ministry of Home Affairs to bring an immediate moratorium on executions and review the country’s use of the death penalty. There are currently about 50 prisoners on death row in Singapore, 94% for drug-related offences. Singapore executed a women in July for the first time in two decades.
Iran: There have been at least 534 executions in Iran, which marks a 25% increase compared to the same period last year. Imprisoned anti-death penalty and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. With four more cases against her pending, Mohammadi is currently serving a sentence of about 10 years. Most recently, she was sentenced to another year in prison for “propaganda against the system” after issuing a statement on the condition of women prisoners to Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Iran.
UK: The National Women’s Justice Coalition launched the Women’s Services Map - the UK’s first directory of services for women in contact with the criminal justice system
Zambia: This month we were proud to support a meeting led by Tithandizane Comfort Home, supported by the International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women and Paralegal Alliance Network, where formerly incarcerated women and NGOs discussed alternatives to incarceration for women.
Opportunities
Call for input: Criminalisation of women due to poverty and status
Penal Reform International and Women Beyond Walls are collaborating to map out the key areas in need of reform related to the criminalisation of women globally due to their poverty and status. We want to know which criminal laws target or disproportionately impact women, what do we know about the impact of these laws, and what is happening to move towards decriminalisation or reform. The findings will be published in a policy briefing aimed at policymakers, advocates, researchers, donors and others.
We invite you to complete the form below for your country and share it with anyone you think could contribute to building this global picture. All responses will be confidential, with an option for you/your organisation to be acknowledged for contributing to the research.
Deadline 8 November 2023. Access the survey in the following languages:
English https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FZBC5Z9
Español https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/3KSZG5Y
Français https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/78BV69F
Português https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7LVDHDL
https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7898CGN العربية
中文 https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/FZZCBNK
Pусский https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/F5WD6R9
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture Prevention is seeking contributions for a report on good practices in the management of prisons, including pre-trial detention facilities, to be presented at the Human Rights Council. Deadline is 13 November 2023.
Beyond the Bars Conference, centred around the theme: "Movement Building Towards a Just Africa” will take place 2 and 3 November 2023 in Kenya. CleanStart Africa organises the conference and it will feature expert panels, workshops, and networking events.
Sisters Inside, one of Australia's leading advocates for protecting the human rights of women and children through decarceration, is hosting their 10th Annual Conference in Brisbane, Australia 8-10 November 2023. Registration is open now.
Media and literature recommendations
In 2009, Susan Kigula & 416 others challenged the constitutionality of the death penalty in Uganda. As a result, the mandatory death sentence was abolished in Uganda. Listen to Susan’s incredible story on our podcast.
This article by Truth Out focuses on issues impacting children in the US who are separated from their incarcerated parents.
The Global Initiative on Justice for Children released an advocacy briefing, Climate in-justice for children: How climate crisis affects access to justice and children’s rights.
The report, Inclusive Child Justice with a Gender & Diversity Approach: Turning Challenges into Progress, is an important read. 11 October 2023 marked International Day of the Girl Child. It is vital to end to criminalisation and detention of girls – a highly vulnerable group with complex needs.
Looking for something to read? Check out our book recommendations. Read/watched/listened to something great? Let us know so we can tell others.
If you have any events/resources/reports you want us to consider highlighting in future newsletters, please don’t hesitate to contact us on hello@womenbeyondwalls.org.
With gratitude to the community,
The Women Beyond Walls Team