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UN Committee makes recommendations to Georgia on women in prison
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) has issued its Concluding observations on Georgia’s combined fourth and fifth periodic reports, examined in July 2014. Read the report here. Regarding women in detention, the Committee expressed concern at the lack of gender sensitive, accessible and evidence-based drug treatment programmes for women and recommended the provision of ‘gender sensitive and evidence […]
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Is a prison sentence the only solution? Our new animation is launched at the Crime Commission
This week, PRI celebrated its 25th anniversary, this time in Vienna, by launching a short new animated film on the impact of unnecessary imprisonment and non-custodial alternatives at the United Nations Crime Commission. In just 2.5 mins the animation seeks to raise some important questions about the use of custodial sentences, particular for minor offences. While for serious […]
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PRI launches Investigative International Journalism Competition
Penal Reform International is launching a competition for the best journalism investigating the death penalty and life (or long-term) imprisonment. The death penalty remains in many parts of the globe, while around the world people are imprisoned for decades at a time. While trials, sentences and executions often make the headlines, other features of the death […]
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New resource for detention monitoring bodies launched
On Friday, PRI and its partner the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) launched the a new joint publication – the Detention Monitoring Tool – at the Palais Wilson, Headquarters of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva. Monitoring bodies are most effective when they focus on a preventive approach, ie […]
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OSCE HDIM: PRI to report on comprehensive survey of women prisoners in the South Caucasus
PRI will be attending the OSCE’s annual Human Dimension Implementation Meeting (HDIM) in Warsaw taking place between 23 September – 4 October. Our statement addressed to the participating states of the OSCE in the working session addressing violence against women and girls, includes recommendations on implementing the UN Bangkok Rules, in light of the OSCE’s Action […]
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Sign up for an Online Course on Safeguards against Torture and Ill-Treatment
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA), specialists in human rights education and e-learning, are running an online course on safeguards against torture and ill-treatment with PRI’s Policy Director Andrea Huber as instructor from 16 October to 26 November. Numerous conventions and standards have been adopted at regional and international level to respond to and prevent the […]
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8 country reports on preventing and addressing violence against children in detention
As part of our multi-faceted programme of work to reduce and end violence against children in the criminal justice system around the world, we have produced eight country research reports aiming to increase the understanding of the specific legal and policy measures that can work to prevent and remedy violence against children. While these have been […]
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Press release: Turning research into action to eliminate torture and ill-treatment of children in detention
BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan, 21 September 2012 —The Kyrgyz Parliament and Government are hosting an international conference today to reduce violence against children in conflict with the law with the support of The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Penal Reform International (PRI). Globally, the vast majority of children are detained for non-violent crimes including running away […]
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PRI publishes new research into violence against children in juvenile justice settings in eight countries
PRI has published new research examining law and policy in relation to violence against children in particular during arrest and in pre-trial detention in eight countries (Bangladesh, Georgia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russian Federation, Tanzania and Uganda). There are estimated to be over one million children in detention around the world, the vast majority detained for non-violent offences, […]
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Armenia: PRI’s concerns reflected by UN Human Rights Committee
The United Nations Human Rights Committee held its 105th session in July and has made concluding observations that pre-trial detention is used too frequently, detainees are not informed of their rights or given quick enough access to doctors, lawyers or judges, and that prisons are overcrowded and understaffed. Our submission to the Country Report Task Force […]