Méline SZWARCBERG, specializes in human rights, with a particular commitment to gender equality and the reform of the criminal justice system is Women and Gender Project Manager at the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty.

Globally, women’s incarceration rates have increased by 17% since 2010 at disproportionately higher rate than men. The major driver for this increase is rooted in punitive drug control with at least 35% of incarcerated women worldwide convicted of drug offences. Drug offences are the second most common reason women are sentenced to death. In Asia and the Middle East where drug offenses are punishable by death, a large majority of women on death row have been convicted of drug-related offences. Women and gender diverse people sentenced to death often face hardships based on gender, socio-economic status, ethnicity with foreign nationals, particularly migrant workers, disproportionately represented among those on death row for drug offenses. Gender bias during judicial proceedings is evident, with courts failing to consider the full extent of case circumstances during sentencing leading to violations of the right to a fair trial.

Until recently, the abolitionist and the drug policy reform movements alike have overlooked gender discrimination in capital punishment cases. Recognizing the need to include a gendered and intersectional approach, the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, through it’s Gender Working Group, have been working to highlight the gendered and intersectional bias involved in capital punishment, including through the development of a training guide for NGOs on how to conduct abolitionist advocacy sensitive to the reality of women and gender diverse people facing the death penalty. The Coalition collaborated with WHRIN and other agencies to include sections on those sentenced to death for drug offences. The guide lists relevant human rights standards and mechanisms, details related intersectional discrimination, provides good practice advocacy examples and more. This session will be used to introduce the guide to the harm reduction sector. This will be done by representatives of WCADP and WHRIN (two speakers).