On International Women’s Day 2021, for the first time 41 National and Local Preventive Mechanisms established under the OPCAT from across the globe issued a joint statement with the APT on women in prison.
The statement calls for a renewed commitment by all States to uphold the dignity, health, safety and security of all women in prison and to establish alternatives to detention for women in contact with the law. It draws on the vast experience of these oversight bodies to identify the risks faced by women in prison, to document their situation through prison visits and private interviews, and to make recommendations for changes in law, policy and practice