Punitive Treatment of Women Prisoners in International Conventions

Abstract

International statistics estimate that more than half a million women and girls are in penal institutions around the world, either detained before or convicted and sentenced to imprisonment, which accounts for between 2% and 9% of the world's prisoners,with gender sensitivity, it can be emphasized that women prisoners are dealt with in an appropriate manner and are provided with acceptable conditions of imprisonment in accordance with the principles both international humanitarian law and human rights in general and prisoners in particular and the rights of women prisoners in particular. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the treatment of prisoners apply to all prisoners without discrimination, but even though they were adopted more than 50 years ago, they did not take the destiny sufficient attention to the specific needs of women, and with the increase in the number of women prisoners worldwide, the need for Clarifying the considerations that must govern the treatment of women prisoners is more urgent than ever. There is no doubt that the special nature of women has made it obligatory for them to have some provisions that fit their circumstances as prisoners, which is the many international conventions adopted by many States in their penal legislation and prison regulations.