Campaign timeline
Campaign members supported Canada-sponsored 'Equal Access to Justice for All' resolution calling for the establishment of an expert committee on the criminalization of poverty and status.
On 8 May 2023, the High Court of Malawi delivered a judgment declaring that the Government policy requiring all learners, including children of the Rastafari community, to cut their hair before admission into government schools is unlawful.
The Constitutional Court of Uganda declared parts of the offence of being a ‘rogue and vagabond’ as unconstitutional and therefore null and void.
At the 18th Summit of the Organisation de la Francophonie (OIF) in Djerba, Tunisia, the campaign's francophone partners launched the Djerba Declaration which presents the issue, key recommendations to be considered and a clear call to action for the OIF.
At the Campaign's Annual Convening, held in Stellenbosch, South Africa in September 2022, members drafted the Cape Declaration, calling on stakeholders to join the fight to decriminalise poverty, status and activism.
With a growing membership and expanded global scope, the campaign's official membership hit 50 organisations from across the world.
After a strategic meeting, the Campaign re-emerges as the 'Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status', broadening it's scope to include other regions, such as Caribbean, S Asia & North America; as well as social, political and economic status and activism.
At this virtual meeting, campaign started to explore the complex interplay between social, economic and political exclusion, and criminalisation, as a precursor to expanding the campaign's scope.
In declaring the actions of the Joint Task Force in arresting women as an infringement on their rights, the Court granted a perpetual injunction to restrain law enforcement agencies from arresting women in similar circumstances without a court order.
Malawian High Court declared the police’s indiscriminate sweeping exercises unlawful and in violation of various constitutional rights and international human rights standards.
During the “Righting a Wrong!” virtual convening, both duty bearers and rights holders reflected on the implications for practice of the African Court's Advisory opinion, and provide guidance to States on strategies for domestication at national level.
On 4 December 2020, African Court made it clear that these laws were discriminatory and perpetuated poverty and marginalisation. The African Court also called on African states to take action in this regard.
Lawyers Alert in Nigeria created an online tool to document human rights violations associated with petty offences laws.
Participants critically examined issues from a variety of perspectives and explored the use of litigation; human rights advocacy at the local, national, regional, and international levels; and creative campaigning in challenging petty offenses.
At a communication workshop, advocates selected the hashtag #PoorNotGuilty to amplify and support advocacy addressing the criminalization of poverty, especially homelessness.
'Status of the Judiciary and Administration of Justice' report raises concerns about the quality of prosecutions as almost half of appealed convictions, either led to acquittal, reduction of sentence, a retrial or change of conviction.
Civil society organizations in both Uganda and Nigeria agree to work together towards decriminalising petty offences in their respective countries.
The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) ruled that a law in Guyana, which makes it a criminal offence for a man or a woman to appear in a public place while dressed in clothing of the opposite sex for an “improper purpose”, is unconstitutional.
The campaign supported the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights to develop and adopt in 2017 the Principles on the Decriminalisation of Petty Offences in Africa.
SALC and CHREAA successfully assisted 21 minibus touts (also known as minibus ‘callboys’) who earn money by attracting passengers to board minibuses.
The Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status is a coalition of organisations from across the world that advocate for the repeal of laws that target people based on poverty, status or for their activism.
@DecrimPS
#DecrimPoverty | #DecrimStatus | #DecrimActivism