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Women in Prison
Recognizing a gap in research and advocacy on women’s imprisonment, the Vance Center’s Human Rights and Access to Justice Program launched the Women in Prison Project in 2017. The project convenes women prisoners’ rights advocates from the Americas, Africa, and Asia to:
1. Share information across the spectrum of women’s imprisonment – its causes, conditions, and consequences – in their respective countries and regions. Through this informational exchange, Network members are able to share best practices and are better equipped to tackle a wide scope of issues under the umbrella of women’s incarceration.
2. Build capacity for improved monitoring of and reporting on conditions for women in carceral systems.
3. Pursue strategic litigation and advocacy to clarify states’ responsibilities under international law to adopt gender-specific laws and policies on women’s imprisonment.
The project launched with an international conference in Bogotá, Colombia, which brought together 49 advocates from 23 countries, including nine formerly incarcerated women. That conference produced the first global network of advocates for women prisoners: the Women in Prison Network.
The Network now consists of more than 50 individuals, including formerly incarcerated women, and 34 organizations from a total of 27 countries. Many member organizations are women-led, and several are led by formerly incarcerated women.
NETWORK REACH
The Women in Prison Network includes 52 members from 27 countries, as well as regional and international organizations.
Network members are located in:
Argentina – Australia – Austria – Bolivia – Brazil – Chile – Colombia – El Salvador – The Gambia – Georgia – Guatemala – Jamaica – Kenya – Malawi – Mexico – Nigeria – Pakistan – Peru – Poland – Sierra Leone – Tanzania – Thailand – Trinidad and Tobago – United Kingdom – United States – Venezuela – Zambia
NETWORK ACTIVITIES
The Vance Center serves the critical role of convener and legal service provider for Network members. We contribute essential legal support that members otherwise could not regularly access for free, and work proactively with the Network to develop and implement strategies for expanded global impact.
STRATEGIC LITIGATION & ADVOCACY
LATIN AMERICA – We presented on challenges to reintegration for formerly incarcerated women at a regional thematic hearing before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington, D.C.
LATIN AMERICA – We hosted a regional dialogue for more than 30 advocates, activists, and lawyers from Latin America to discuss strategic litigation initiatives before the Inter-American and United Nations human rights systems.
AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA – We submitted open letters to the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights on ensuring the rights of women in prison during the COVID-19 pandemic.
GLOBAL – We support the development and submission of reports to UN mechanisms on matters impacting women deprived of liberty.
PRO BONO SUPPORT
In partnership with our network of co-counsel law firms & clearinghouses, we provide pro bono technical and legal support to Network members in countries including Guatemala, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia. This pro bono work addresses issues such as:
- Sexual exploitation in mixed prisons,
- The right to health and adequate nutrition of children living in prison with their parents, and
- Prison sentences in domestic violence and sexual harassment cases.
We work on a diverse range of cases, depending on the clients’ needs and where our expertise and support can be most helpful. Recent matters include:
Assisting with a case for a Bolivian woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for defending herself after years of domestic violence and unanswered complaints to the police. We produced a legal memo in Spanish on international standards, precedents, and comparative practices related to the criminalization of women who suffer domestic violence and are subsequently accused of committing a serious crime.
Working to appeal a decision by the Guatemalan government to stop providing food to children who are deprived of liberty while their parent is in custody. We prepared a legal memo on international standards and regional human rights jurisprudence on the right to health and adequate nutrition for children who are living in prison with their parent.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
SIERRA LEONE – We conducted a pilot research study and published a report on women’s incarceration in Sierra Leone to assess the causes and consequences of women’s imprisonment in the country.
AFRICA REGIONAL – In collaboration with NGOs and law firms in Nigeria, The Gambia, Malawi, Kenya, and Tanzania, we developed a report on these five countries’ compliance with domestic, regional, and international standards on women’s incarceration.
GLOBAL – We published a report on sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) in places of deprivation of liberty during situations of armed conflict. The findings were presented during a discussion hosted by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.
GLOBAL – We conducted research on government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in detention centers for women in the Global South, covering 17 countries and focusing on six key areas: healthcare, prison protocols and rules, children in prison with their mothers, rehabilitation and release, the criminal justice system, and prison staff.
TRAINING & WORKSHOPS
SIERRA LEONE – We used the findings from the Sierra Leone report to facilitate a series of training workshops for police officers on gender-sensitive approaches to policing.
AFRICA AND LATIN AMERICA REGIONAL – We facilitated South-South collaboration by organizing two workshops on applying the findings of the Sierra Leone report to other countries in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America.