UN experts urge urgent action to protect women in prisons and curb over-criminalisation ahead of CSW70

GENEVA – UN human rights experts* today urged Member States to take action to strengthen protections for women and girls in criminal justice systems, warning that access to justice, safety and dignity for women deprived of their liberty remains gravely inadequate ahead of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70).

“As the principal global intergovernmental forum on gender equality, CSW70 presents an important opportunity to renew attention to the situation of women and girls who are criminalised, detained or imprisoned,” the experts said.

Women in detention face heightened risks of violence, including sexual and gender-based violence, inadequate healthcare, overcrowding, and other conditions that may amount to ill-treatment or torture — risks that are even more acute in conflict and fragile settings.