A/RES/65/229
Mindful of its resolution 61/143 of 19 December 2006, in which it urged States
to, inter alia, take positive measures to address structural causes of violence against
women and to strengthen prevention efforts that address discriminatory practices
and social norms, including with regard to women who need special attention in the
development of policies to address violence, such as women in institutions or in
detention,
Mindful also of its resolution 63/241 of 24 December 2008, in which it called
upon all States to give attention to the impact of parental detention and
imprisonment on children and, in particular, to identify and promote good practices
in relation to the needs and physical, emotional, social and psychological
development of babies and children affected by parental detention and
imprisonment,
Taking into consideration the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice:
Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century, 7 in which Member States
committed themselves, inter alia, to the development of action-oriented policy
recommendations based on the special needs of women as prisoners and offenders,
and the plans of action for the implementation of the Declaration, 8
Calling attention to the Bangkok Declaration on Synergies and Responses:
Strategic Alliances in Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 9 as it relates
specifically to women in detention and in custodial and non-custodial settings,
Recalling that, in the Bangkok Declaration, Member States recommended to
the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice that it give consideration
to reviewing the adequacy of standards and norms in relation to prison management
and prisoners,
Having taken note of the initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights to designate the week from 6 to 12 October 2008 as Dignity and
Justice for Detainees Week, which placed particular emphasis on the human rights
of women and girls,
Considering that women prisoners are one of the vulnerable groups that have
specific needs and requirements,
Aware of the fact that many existing prison facilities worldwide were designed
primarily for male prisoners, whereas the number of female prisoners has
significantly increased over the years,
Recognizing that a number of female offenders do not pose a risk to society
and, as with all offenders, their imprisonment may render their social reintegration
more difficult,
Welcoming the development by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
of the Handbook for Prison Managers and Policymakers on Women and
Imprisonment, 10
Welcoming also the invitation, contained in Human Rights Council resolution
10/2 of 25 March 2009, 11 to Governments, relevant international and regional
_______________
7
Resolution 55/59, annex.
Resolution 56/261, annex.
9
Resolution 60/177, annex.
10
United Nations publication, Sales No. E.08.IV.4.
11
See Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-fourth Session, Supplement No. 53 (A/64/53),
chap. II, sect. A.
8
2