At the 44th session of the Human Rights Council on 15 July 2020, the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), the International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC), Penal Reform International (PRI), and the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) delivered a joint statement raising concerns for the dramatic increase of the female prison population over the past two decades, because of political choices – notably drug policies - and for the lack of implementation of many of the Bangkok Rules especially the provisions that call for non-custodial alternatives and for sentencing practices to take into account mitigating factors.
In the joint statement, the APT, the IDPC, PRI and WOLA encourage the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms to pay greater attention to the heightened vulnerability and risks of abuse and discrimination experienced by women who come into contact with criminal justice systems – including by building on the work to-date to address human rights violations associated with drug policies.
