New Tools to Help Improve Treatment of Women Prisoners

By an IPS Correspondent Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 18 2013 (IPS) - A toolbox, defined as a range of resources to help implement the “Bangkok rules” on the treatment of women, was launched at a meeting here last week.

Addressing delegates, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, who is also the UN Goodwill Ambassador for Women, said the toolbox offers practical ways to help implement the rules and track progress. She also expressed her view that Bangkok rules “fit nicely” in the post-2015 UN development agenda that hopes to integrate “justice, human rights, security and development”.

Officially, the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders, known as the Bangkok Rules, were adopted by the UN General Assembly three years ago. Prior to the UN adoption, international standards for treatment of women prisoners and offenders were almost non-existent.

Mari Amos, member of the UN Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, spoke about the despicable conditions endured by women offenders. “There is no separation between male and women prisoners. This is common across continents. In some cases where there is no separation, women work as prostitutes for male prisoners and guards. In other cases, women don’t want to be separated as they felt the prison facilities were better in combined prisons.”

Amos said that many state bodies are unaware of the Bangkok Rules .  And these bodies often belonged to the very countries that are responsible for monitoring and implementing them. The toolbox, she felt, was an important step in improving conditions for women in prisons.

The toolbox has been designed by Penal Reform International and Human Rights Education Associates and it includes an e-learning module for prison guards, administrators, civil society groups and others. It is available in English, Russian and Arabic.

Questions were raised about the effectiveness of the toolbox, especially the e-learning module, which wouldn’t be helpful in regions where illiteracy is high.

In response, Frank Elbers, Director of Human Rights Education Associates said the e-learning module, which cost as much as organising a single workshop for 25 participants and the online platform, made the Bangkok Rules more widely accessible.

Simone Monasebian, director of New York UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC), said women prisoners are abandoned by their families and seen as “bad girls who do bad things”.

She also said the high level of abuse, drug and alcohol addiction experienced by most women prisoners, prior to entering the system. requires an appropriate prison architecture and environment. “UNODC stands ready to work harder on the implementation of the Bangkok rules,” she added.