Highlights from CSW70: Fighting Back Against the Criminalization of Women Around The World
 (1) 3.jpeg "At #CSW70, we hosted important conversations on how criminal legal systems impact women.")
A team of 3 staff members and one volunteer from The Advocates attended this year’s Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. This year’s theme was “Access to Justice," and our team went with the goal of uplifting the experiences of criminalized survivors and ensuring their voices are included in discussions about how to respond to gender-based violence. We worked with partners to host five events over two weeks, including 4 panel discussions and a civil society gathering.
Here are some of the highlights from our CSW panels:
On March 11 we hosted "Reclaiming Justice: Addressing the Criminalization of Women from Global Perspectives," a discussion highlighting how discriminatory laws, gender-blind procedures, and systemic bias shape women's experiences at every stage of the criminal legal system, from first contact with police to life after release.
Our next panel, "Access to Justice Denied: Women Facing the Death Penalty," focused on the systemic and intersectional discrimination faced by women exposed to the death penalty. The discussion highlighted gendered pathways to criminalization, including gender-based violence, poverty, caregiving responsibilities, and discriminatory legal frameworks, and examined how justice systems can reproduce inequality.
"Access to Justice Denied: Advancing Solutions for Women Facing the Death Penalty," our final panel of the session, was centered on focusing on practical legal tools, defense strategies, and advocacy approaches to better protect women facing the death penalty. Recordings available here.
Our staff also contributed draft language and provided feedback for adding in language to the CSW Agreed Conclusions recognizing the experiences and needs of criminalized and incarcerated women as an issue of access to justice. As a result of that advocacy, the agreed conclusions of CSW70 called on governments to review laws and policies that lead to the disproportionate criminalization of women and girls and to address the way violence against women and girls is linked to increased risk of incarceration—something we believe has never been included before. We also connected with partners and built new relationships to advance transnational work to fight for the rights of criminalized women, gender-diverse individuals, and survivors of gender-based violence.
We'd like to thank all of our partners, volunteers, and attendees that helped make this year's CSW so impactful. You can learn more about our women's rights work and how to get involved by visiting our website.
