March 17, 2025 | 10:00—11:15 a.m. (EST)
United Nations Headquarters, Conference Room 9
This official side event at CSW69, sponsored by the Mission of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Mission of Colombia to the United Nations, and co-organized by the Thailand Institute for Justice, Penal Reform International, Women Beyond Walls, and the Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, is one of the first to address how to reduce the harmful impact of imprisonment on women from a global perspective. It will highlight not only the link between poverty and the scale of the problem but also innovative solutions that Member States can adopt.
Penal Reform International and Women Beyond Walls will launch their report—the first global report on laws that criminalize women due to poverty. Civil society groups will share country case studies about the impact of these laws and policies, highlighting the importance of people-centred justice, and placing women’s needs at the forefront of justice systems and processes. The event also provides an opportunity for States to share promising practices, such as the innovative law on non-custodial measures for women who are heads of households and have been charged with offenses because of socio-economic circumstances in Colombia and the UK government’s sentencing review and Women’s Justice Board.
This side event will provide concrete recommendations for policy reform in light of international standards (such as the United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders – The Bangkok Rules), the 2023 Human Rights Council Resolution on addressing violence against women in criminal justice detention, the UN Common Position on Incarceration, international and regional standards on the decriminalization of petty offenses, and 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
Speakers
- Fernando Marani, Program Director, Justice for All, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies
- Ambassador H.E. Mr. Cherdchai Chaivaivid, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to the United Nations
- Ambassador Arlene B. Tickner, Ambassador at large for Gender Issues and Feminist Global Policy, Government of Colombia
- Jerome Mangelinckx, Global Policy Manager, Penal Reform International (Moderator)
- Claudia Cardona, Mujeres Libres Colombia/ International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women
- Jhody Polk, Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative
- Sabrina Mahtani, Women Beyond Walls
- Phiset Sa-ardyen, Executive Director, Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ)
