Ten years after their adoption, however, the global female prison population has increased significantly, and women in detention face even more hardship and risks to their human rights as the COVID pandemic continues.
There are now an estimated , women and girls in prison globally. The increase in the number of women in prison is the result of a number of factors, including punitive approaches to low level, non-violent offences which are often linked to poverty, harsh drug policies which result in excessive imprisonment of women, and the criminalisation of behaviours such as adultery, apostasy and homosexuality.
The Bangkok Rules recognise that a number of women that come into conflict with the law do not pose a risk to society and their imprisonment may render their social reintegration more difficult.
The stigma faced by women who have been detained, along with loss of income, housing, or custody of their children, see many women released from detention into homelessness and with decreased opportunities for finding employment.
Women are often detained in locations far from their homes which makes it harder to maintain family connections and reintegrate into the community upon release. Children of imprisoned mothers also often face stigma and discrimination, and those living with their mother in prison face particular risks, both in detention and upon separation at a certain age.
