Campaign Digest: April 2025
More and more women are being harassed, arrested and imprisoned simply for being poor, marginalised, or for exercising their fundamental rights. Laws criminalise women for acts of survival—from petty theft, such as stealing food for their babies, to begging, to working in the informal economy as domestic workers or street vendors, to women detained for debt in violation of international law. In addition, women continue to be arrested under archaic, colonial-era vagrancy laws or simply for being homeless. Although many of these laws appear gender-neutral, they disproportionately impact women due to the feminisation of poverty and systemic gender discrimination. Global Campaign members are collaborating across regions to gather evidence, develop strategies and push for reform in the fight against the increasing criminalisation of women and girls across the world. Read more on our newly launched page on the ‘Criminalisation of Women’.
In the first global report of its kind, ‘From Poverty to Punishment‘ exposes the myriad ways laws are being weaponised against women who are in situations of vulnerability or because of their ‘status’ as women. The report, from campaign partners Penal Reform International (PRI) and Women Beyond Walls (WBW), examines how laws criminalise women for acts of survival—from petty theft, such as stealing food for their babies, to begging, to working in the informal economy as domestic workers or street vendors, to women detained for debt in violation of international law. Women continue to be arrested under archaic, colonial-era vagrancy laws or simply for being homeless. Although many of these laws appear gender-neutral, they disproportionately impact women due to the feminisation of poverty and systemic gender discrimination. Supported by the Global Campaign, the report was launched at the UN Commission on the Status of Women on 17 March 2025 (broadcast on UNWEBTV). See the Guardian’s coverage of the report.
Highlights
South Asia Convening addresses Decriminalization of Poverty and Status
As outlined in this report, a two-day convening on “Decriminalizing Poverty and Status” took place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on January 24-25, 2025 bringing together diverse voices from across South Asia to discuss the discrimination and marginalisation of social groups within and by the legal system. Under the umbrella of the Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, the event, which was organised by the Neelan Tiruchelvam Trust (NTT) and the International Legal Foundation (ILF), saw participation of representatives of organizations in Pakistan, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, alongside Campaign members from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Malawi, and Uganda. The meeting provided a rare opportunity for South-South collaboration on this topic, in the hope that organizations from South Asia can begin to self-organize around the common issues of the criminalization of poverty, status and activism.
Launch of the Commonwealth’s Practitioners Guide
Supported by the Global Campaign, the Institute of Commonwealth Studies (ICwS), the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), and the Commonwealth Secretariat launched a new Practitioner’s Guide on the decriminalisation of poverty and status at a side event during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Samoa 2024. This first-of-its-kind guide addresses the wrongful criminalisation of conduct associated with poverty, homelessness, and status, offering a human rights-based approach to criminal law grounded in international human rights standards. It aims to mitigate the negative impacts of such criminalisation on health, equality, and other human rights. Serving as a practical tool and comparative law casebook, the guide provides justice sector actors, policymakers, and civil society with a clear legal framework and guidance for advocating legal reform and repealing discriminatory laws.
ECOWAS Court declares Sierra Leone’s loitering laws discriminatory and orders repeal
In a landmark judgment, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Community Court of Justice has ruled in favour of Campaign partner, AdvocAid in a case filed against the Republic of Sierra Leone. The case challenged Sierra Leone’s discriminatory loitering laws, which AdvocAid argued unjustly targets the poor and vulnerable and violates fundamental human rights. The Court ruled that Sierra Leone’s loitering laws violate rights to equality, non-discrimination, and freedom of movement, disproportionately impacting marginalised individuals. This ruling sets a crucial legal precedent across Africa, urging countries to review and reform colonial-era laws that perpetuate inequality and criminalise poverty.
Kenya declares attempted suicide as ‘unconstitutional’
This ruling is considered a landmark moment for mental health in Kenya, shifting the focus from punishment to medical intervention for individuals with mental illnesses. High Court Judge, Justice Mugambi stated that the law violated a number of articles of the Constitution by discriminating against individuals on the basis of health.
Partner Updates
Fostering synergies to counter the criminalization of human rights defenders (HRDs): In November 2023, Lawyers Alert (LA) in collaboration with the Southern African Litigation Centre (SALC) provided critical legal and technical support to homeless individuals and informal traders whose shanties were demolished by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. This initiative was part of a broader campaign for the decriminalization of poverty, status, and association in Nigeria, aiming to challenge the eviction order in accordance with the African Charter. After several discussions with representatives of the affected parties and government officials, shelters were allocated to the displaced persons. Those affected have expressed satisfaction with the arrangement and have accepted the offer.
Comparative study and findings on the impact of criminal, security and other exceptional laws and policies in select francophone and lusophone countries including Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire and Mozambique: The DOI is currently conducting research on the impact of criminal and security laws in Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mozambique. This research involves interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders. Reports are being drafted, with findings to be launched in August 2025.
First African Regional Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health held in Pretoria: In December 2024, APCOF, Freedoms Collective Trust, and the Caribbean Centre for Human Rights presented a paper at the GLEPHA conference on “Decriminalising public space governance: the role of the police“. The paper addressed the criminalization of poverty and status, highlighting its detrimental effects on socio-economic status and human dignity, particularly for women. It proposed expanding the socio-ecological model of crime prevention, using a feminist capabilities approach, to reframe public space governance. Focused on the global South, the paper was initially discussed at a pre-conference meeting with experts from various regions, where common trends and alternative policing approaches were explored. It was then presented to the broader conference audience, facilitating wider discussion and feedback.
In November 2024, the Global Campaign, represented by APCOF had the opportunity to share concerns and raise awareness around the criminalisation of poverty and status in Africa to the European Union Delegations’ Human Rights focal points during a training session conducted by FIACAT. Fighting discrimination is a core principle upon which the EU is built, and is outlined in its human rights frameworks, action plans and guidelines to its Member States. Emphasis was placed on freedom of religion or belief, gender equality in prisons, discrimination against LGBTI persons, social and cultural Rights and poverty. The Global Campaign was able to make several recommendations for the EU delegates, including technical support, policy dialogue and advocacy, sustained and integrated funding, legal reform assistance, scaling up alternatives to criminalisation etc.
Adopted in December 2023, the UN Resolution 78/227 entitled “Equal access to justice for all” mandated an expert meeting with a view to sharing information on challenges, lessons learned, best practices and enabling factors needed to enhance the functioning of criminal justice systems to ensure equal access to justice for all. Jennifer Smith, (ILF) writes about how the campaign members’ collective organising and lobbying, ensured that civil society representatives, including people with lived experience, were able to participate in the expert meeting, held in Brasília, Brazil in December, 2024. Additionally, many campaign members participated in the hybrid input session. The meeting outcomes document positively includes many recommendations from the Global Campaign, and will feed into the work of the CCPCJ on anti-discrimination. The meeting outcomes document is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic.
November 21-23, 2024, campaign members ILF, APCOF, PRI and WBW hosted a meeting of independent experts including judges, prosecutors, legal aid lawyers, advocates, researchers, and persons with lived experience at the offices of the Public Defender’s Office of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The meeting saw the drafting of a set of international principles and guidelines for addressing discrimination in law enforcement and criminal justice systems. More than 20 principles provided a framework for addressing discrimination and inequity, and further consultations on the draft are ongoing, physically and virtually, including at the recent South Asia Convening.
From December 10-11, 2024, Suaram, Amnesty International and APCOF hosted a two-day workshop in Bangkok, Thailand. The workshop focused on combating the criminalization of human rights defenders and peaceful protest. Participants from South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe collaborated to identify policy recommendations aimed at protecting peaceful protestors and human rights defenders, particularly concerning civil disobedience and the misuse of criminal laws like SLAPPs. The workshop also pinpointed opportunities for joint advocacy and strategic litigation, which partners will pursue throughout 2025 as part of the Campaign’s efforts to decriminalize activism.
New Partners
Our campaign has over 80 member organisations from across the world and growing! Interested in joining us? Apply today as an organisation or as an individual!
Action Vivre Ensemble is an NGO of Catholic origin which fights against all forms of poverty and social exclusion throughout the territory of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. It supports grassroots associations, raises awareness about the impact of poverty and lobbies decisionmakers to structurally combat poverty and social exclusion.
Right2Protest Project (R2P) is a South African coalition dedicated to protecting and advancing the constitutional right to freedom of assembly. R2P was established to respond to increasing challenges faced by activists and communities in exercising their right to protest.
Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) is a human rights organisation based at the University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. We use the law to bring about social change in society through a combination of research, advocacy and litigation.
Center for Studies on Justice and Society of the Institute of Sociology (CJS) stands as a cornerstone of research and policy excellence in Latin America, affiliated with the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. With an unwavering commitment to social justice, the CJS team has dedicated over a decade to pioneering groundbreaking applied research and policy design on the areas of social inclusion, security and justice, within Chile and other countries of Latin America and the Caribbean. 
Partners for Dignity & Rights works to build a broad movement for economic and social rights, including health, housing, education and work with dignity. They advocate for public policies that guarantee the universal and equitable fulfilment of human rights obligations in the United States.
Public Defender Society of Nepal is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring fair and effective access to justice for marginalized and vulnerable communities in Nepal. The organization provides free legal aid and representation from arrest through trial and appeals and actively engages in strategic litigation, policy advocacy, and public awareness campaigns.
Strategic litigation and law reform
Originating summons for the decriminalization of petty offences in the context of female sex workers in Nigeria: Lawyers Alert instituted an action against the Abuja Environmental Protection Board and 3 Others. The action hinges on the report of the harassment, arrest, detention and prosecution of women suspected of engaging in sex work on the streets of Abuja by the Abuja Environmental board (AEPB) and Nigeria Police. It is believed that the suit will broaden the frontiers of the law by seeking decriminalization of petty offences in the context of female sex workers in Nigeria and protect the rights of women from violations. The case has been adjourned to 12th March, 2025 for judgement.
Constitutional Challenge to incarceration based on disability in Mexico: Documenta filed an Amparo lawsuit in Mexico on March 28, 2023, challenging a Mexico City Penal Code provision that permits the incarceration and involuntary treatment of individuals with disabilities within criminal proceedings. This provision, termed “tratamiento para inimputables,” disproportionately impacts those with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities, violating rights under the CRPD. After an initial dismissal, the case was appealed and subsequently accepted for review by Mexico’s Supreme Court (SCJN) on December 6, 2023, and is now pending before the First Chamber. This case presents a significant opportunity to establish legal precedent in Mexico, aiming to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and prohibit involuntary detention and treatment based on disability, challenging discriminatory laws and practices.
Amicus Brief filed in Iowa Supreme Court low-income legal fees case: In January 2025, the Iowa Supreme Court allowed the ACLU of Iowa, the Fines and Fees Justice Center, and Public Justice to file an amicus brief in State of Iowa v. Ronald Pagliai (PAG-lee-eye), a case currently before the Court. The amicus brief argues that Iowa courts may not bill low-income Iowans for the cost of their court-appointed defense attorney when criminal charges against the person have been dismissed.
Malawi High Court considers challenge of criminal defamation: In December 2024, the Malawi High Court considered a challenge to the offence of criminal defamation under section 200 of the Penal Code. The challenge stems from charges against Joshua Chisa Mbele, accused of defaming the then-Army Commander. While the constitutional case does not question the truthfulness of the alleged defamation, it raises significant concerns about the constitutionality of using criminal sanctions to restrict speech and whether criminal sanctions are a suitable response to reputational harm. Mbele is represented by Wesley Mwafulirwa of Kawelo Lawyers, supported by SALC under the Global Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status.
In the News
The UK government launched the Women’s Justice Board on 21 January. The Board aims to reduce the number of women in prison, cut returns back to prison, and better support children impacted by parental imprisonment.
In preparation for the 15th United Nations Crime Congress from 25 to 30 April 2026 in Abu Dhabi, the UNODC Civil Society Unit in collaboration with the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, is conducting a global survey to gather insights from non-governmental stakeholders.
The Legacy of the British Legal System Continues to Inflict Misery in Sierra Leone: Decades after independence, colonial-era laws have created a mass-incarceration crisis in Sierra Leone as poor citizens are thrown into prison for the smallest offenses, writes Mara Kardas-Nelson.
Upcoming Events
5th World Congress on Justice With Children from 2 – 4 June, 2025. Co-organised by campaign members, Penal Reform International & Terre des Hommes alongside others, the Congress can be joined in person in Madrid, locally at Satellite Events, and globally online. The event will provide a platform for discussion focussed on advancing child-centered justice, preventing, and responding to violence affecting children in justice systems. You can register for the event here.
Past events
Symposium: leave no-one behind – Documentation as a gateway to dignity: The DOI, in collaboration with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, co-hosted a symposium focusing on documentation and dignity. During this event, DOI researchers presented on the challenges faced by migrant workers in the informal economy. The presentation highlighted the discrimination and lack of proper documentation that lead to criminalization and extortion, emphasizing the need for law enforcement to uphold rights-based treatment when dealing with migrants performing life-sustaining activities in public spaces.
African Regional Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health: DOI researchers participated in the African Regional Conference on Law Enforcement and Public Health, presenting on COVID-19 responses in five African countries. The presentation highlighted human rights violations by law enforcement and the impacts on detention, drawing lessons for future health crises.
Who benefits from prison? Prison Insider hosted a workshop at this year’s edition of Concertina on the human and social cost of prison in Haiti, Tunisia, Morocco, and France. Learn more about the key points of this discussion.
Resources
Sub-national governance and the plight of women working in public spaces: Fact sheets on findings from Ghana, and South Africa, and an accompanying videographic are available.
The Global Freedom Fellowship Charter: The GFF Charter was co-authored by the inaugural cohort of Global Freedom Fellows – the first-ever fellowship program for formerly incarcerated leaders from around the world, organised by the Incarceration Nations Network. Inspired by the South African Freedom Charter, this Charter outlines what various stakeholders need to know about prisons, the people in them and the people coming home from them.
Without a roof or a choice – The difficult road from prison to a habitation: People leaving prison, who are often in precarious situations and stigmatised, are hit hard by the housing crisis. But without a stable habitation, what hope do they have for building a future in society? Four articles from Prison Insider explore the problems they face and offer ideas for reflection and solutions.
Palestinians in Israeli prisons: oppression as a system: Thousands of Palestinians are currently deprived of their liberty by the Israeli authorities, a figure that has risen sharply in the last year. What is the current situation? Prison Insider asks the Palestinian association Addameer.
Women bearing the weight of the law: Who are the women behind bars? Prison Insider explores the systems where minor acts become grounds for charges criminalising hundreds of thousands of women all over the world. For this article, it sought out associations and groups working to transform faulty political and judicial systems.
Circularity of violence and institutionalisation: understanding women’s (im)mobility across borders: Women’s experiences of border crossing in the context of any form of forced mobility have historically been at the margins of literature on international migration. Drawing on narratives of migrant and refugee women in prisons in India and Australia, the article connects the missing links between literature on violence against women, women’s mobility across political borders and their consequent containment in institutions.
Global Prison Trends 2024: Penal Reform International’s Global Prison Trends 2024 report is the 10th edition in this flagship series, offering a detailed overview of the major developments and challenges in prison systems around the world. Published in collaboration with the Thailand Institute of Justice, this edition sheds light on key issues such as prison overcrowding, the mental health crisis in prisons, corruption, and the growing use of digital technologies. The report is a vital resource for those interested in prison reform and improving global criminal justice systems.
Pakistan’s Prison Landscape: Trends, Data and Developments in 2024: The 2024 report from campaign partner Justice Project Pakistan, highlights the chronic challenges Pakistan’s prison system is facing, including severe overcrowding and staggering overrepresentation of under-trial prisoners.
Join our campaign
Support our work: fund our member’s activities and advocate for reform.
Join as an organisation: collaborate with members to collectively tackle issues.
Join as an individual: share your expertise and engage with campaign members.
Follow our work: subscribe to our updates and follow us on social media.