Global number of female prisoners up by 60pc

The rate at which women are getting jailed across the world is about three times that of men, a study has shown.

The findings, presented in an open letter during the 2023 Women Deliver conference in Kigali, Rwanda, showed that since 2000, the number of women imprisoned has risen by 60 per cent compared to 22 per cent for men.

The letter, presented by Women Beyond Walls, indicated that the population of women in prison has increased by over 100,000 in the last 10 years alone. It says women are mainly jailed because of gender-based violence, poverty and discriminatory laws.

However, despite the glaring statistics, women's voices are left out of gender equality campaigns. Different speakers called for women’s inclusion, and free and open democracy in decisions that involve girls and women and rights.

Criminalisation

The conference, which began with the pre-session on Sunday and ends today, called on countries to come up with policies that address increased criminalisation of women in prisons globally. It brought together over 6,000 delegates from over 170 countries and diverse backgrounds and fields of expertise worldwide to advance gender equality.

Women Deliver is a leading global advocate for gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights of girls and women everywhere. “Women with lived experience of the criminal justice system were invisible throughout the forum,” it said.

“Despite the statistics, women’s imprisonment on the key thematic action areas chosen for the global community to focus on for the next five years, including ones focused on Gender-Based Violence and Economic Justice and Rights. Women with lived experience of the criminal justice system were invisible,” says the study.

“The organisers must not ignore the rights of criminalised, incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women.

“We call upon member states, UN and other intergovernmental organisations, as well as the organisers of these high-level forums, to ensure that women’s incarceration is included as a priority topic.”

The conference’s theme is Spaces, Solidarity and Solutions. It offers a hopeful moment for gender equality, even in the face of escalating global crises. Participants called upon countries to legislate women's rights to ensure democracy and provide for punitive measures against violators.

“Only in open democracies do women have a chance to address their rights properly. We are in a sad situation; this is because a majority of the countries globally do not adhere to women's rights. We have to do something,” Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, chair of the Women Deliver Board and former Deputy President of South Africa, said.

“Women Deliver underscores the vital role of democratic systems in advancing gender equality. Open democracies foster an enabling environment for women's political participation, policy and law shaping, as well as the protection of women's rights and the creation of equal opportunities.

“They facilitate improved access to education and healthcare for girls and women while establishing effective mechanisms to combat gender-based violence."

Dr Maliha Khan, President and Chief Executive Officer of Women Deliver, said the world is facing enormous headwinds against gender equality, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the climate crisis, and a growing anti-rights movement worldwide.

“The only way we can push past them is if we double down on our efforts and work together. The time has come for us to unite against the global rollback of rights, change is inevitable but progress is not. We have to work at it,” she said.

Gender bias

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, in his opening remarks, said much more needed to be done to tackle biased attitudes about gender, which are deeply embedded in political, social, and economic systems.

“The conference is happening at a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty, debates taking place here, do matter for all of us. In recent decades, there have been meaningful results, in closing the gap between women and men, in terms of opportunity and achievement,” he said.

However, across the globe, women remain vulnerable to various forms of injustice and are more often employed in the informal sector, or even expected to provide unpaid labour. Women and girls have borne a disproportionate share of the burden, of the overlapping health, climate, and economic crises, which the world has faced over the past few years.

“We must challenge ourselves to do things differently, and with a sense of urgency. Commitments, which are not followed by action, cannot fulfil our promise to build a more just, equitable, and prosperous future for the generations that follow us,” Mr Kagame said.

“All of us share the responsibility to play an active role in changing these negative mindsets.”

Rwanda was celebrated as one of the countries in Africa that have created an enabling environment for women to be equally represented in leadership positions, including politics, and at all levels.

“A key tool we have mainstreamed in Rwanda is the annual gender budget statement, to ensure public spending considers how budgetary decisions affect men and women differently. We also invest in programmes to engage men at the community level, about the importance of sharing childcare responsibilities, and preventing domestic violence,” he said.

The WD2023 will see a presentation of over 10 plenaries about 200 side events, 240 exhibition spaces, and 55 Global Dialogue events with nine Regional Convening Partner events.

The topics being covered include gender equality in the era of multiple crises, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and accountability of gender equality commitments.