A recent report indicates that the number of incarcerated women has risen significantly, outpacing male incarceration rates globally by a wide margin. Key drivers include poverty and discriminatory laws that penalize acts of survival—such as petty theft and begging. The report highlights the troubling trend of women being jailed for minor offenses, often linked to their socio-economic circumstances. Experts emphasize that the judicial system fails to protect these vulnerable individuals, advocating instead for supportive measures rather than punitive ones. The issue is exacerbated by a global rise in far-right ideologies that further threaten women's rights.
Prison is not a safe space for women or their children. Yet, rather than investing in support services and community solutions, countries criminalise those who are marginalised and vulnerable.
Since 2000, the number of women and girls in prison has grown by 57%, compared with a 22% increase in the male prison population.
The report by Penal Reform International and Women Beyond Walls examined how laws criminalised acts of survival, with women disproportionately jailed for petty theft and begging.
More than 733,000 women are in prisons around the world, and this number is growing much faster than the rates of incarcerated men.
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