A new report highlights that poverty, abuse, and discriminatory laws are driving a sharp increase in the number of women prisoners worldwide.
With the rise of far-right ideologies and a global pushback against women’s rights, researchers warn that legal systems could increasingly be weaponized against women, leading to higher incarceration rates.
Currently, over 733,000 women are imprisoned globally, with their numbers rising at a significantly faster rate than men. Since 2000, the female prison population has surged by 57%, compared to a 22% increase among men.
The report—produced by Penal Reform International and Women Beyond Walls and exclusively accessed by media ahead of its March 17 launch—found that many women are jailed for acts linked to survival. These include minor theft, such as stealing food for their children, begging, or working in informal sectors. Many are also detained for debt, despite international laws prohibiting such imprisonment.
Sabrina Mahtani from Women Beyond Walls emphasized that prison is unsafe for women and their children. “Rather than investing in support systems and community solutions, countries continue to criminalize marginalized and vulnerable individuals,” she said.
Sia Fatmata Deen, a former Sierra Leonean police officer and leader of the Go Bifo network for formerly incarcerated women, was imprisoned for over a year in 2013 after being held responsible for a missing bike at her police station. Unable to pay a 5.5 million leone (£186) fine, she was jailed until she could raise the money.
Deen noted that many women she encountered in prison had been criminalized due to poverty. In Sierra Leone, the most common charges against women—“fraudulent conversion” and “obtaining goods or money by false pretenses”—fall under outdated colonial-era laws, which civil society groups argue are often misapplied to punish debt-related issues. Many women jailed under these laws include survivors of domestic abuse and those who turned to sex work or drug sales to support their families.
The report also highlighted laws in several countries that disproportionately target women. In some regions, “witchcraft” laws criminalize women who do not conform to gender norms, particularly older, poorer, unmarried, or widowed women. Others face legal restrictions on their dress and appearance.
For example, in Zambia, businesswoman and social media influencer Iris Kaingu was arrested in May 2022 for “indecent dressing” after attending a fashion event in a sheer black dress. In Iran, failing to wear a hijab is a criminal offense, with new morality laws introducing harsher punishments, including long prison sentences or even the death penalty for violations such as “promoting nudity and indecency.”
The report warns that the global female prison population could soon surpass one million and urges governments to collect more data, promote alternatives to incarceration, and repeal laws that violate human rights.
“More women are going to prison because of poverty,” Deen stated. “If you have money, you won’t need to sell drugs or take microfinance loans. Women have responsibilities, and when we don’t have the means, we take extraordinary measures—leading to conflicts with the law.” She also criticized Sierra Leone’s weak justice system.
Women worldwide continue to face imprisonment under colonial-era laws criminalizing abortion, suicide attempts, and same-sex relationships. While many of these laws appear gender-neutral, they disproportionately impact women due to systemic discrimination and patriarchal structures.
