Decrimalisation of Poverty and Status
Around the world, including within the Commonwealth, individuals experiencing poverty are disproportionately represented in criminal justice systems, as a direct result of laws, policies and practices that criminalise and punish poverty and status.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies has launched a decriminalisation project aiming to address these issues through events, research and publications as part of the global campaign.
Project Outputs
Photo (L-R): Melusi Simelane, Judge Tuiloma Neroni Slade, Prof Kingsley Abbott, Maud Sarliève, Dr Cherisse Francis, Jeshua Bardoo, Louise Ehlers, Kaeden Watts, Justice Aruna Devi Narain and Daron Tan.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies sent a delegation of 12 experts from across global civil society and justice sectors to lead and support several events at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), which took place in Apia, Samoa from 21-26 October 2024.
The Institute, alongside partners the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, organised a side event at CHOGM entitled: 'Decriminalising Poverty and Status: Breaking chains and building resilient societies across the Commonwealth'
The Institute was also involved in the Commonwealth People’s Forum side event at CHOGM 2024 entitled 'Decriminalise! A human rights-based approach to criminal law in the modern Commonwealth' which facilitated a more civil society-focussed conversation about what a human rights based approach to criminal law in the modern Commonwealth looks like, including with respect to the decriminalisation of freedom of expression.
The Institute and its partners, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, launched a new Practitioner’s Guide on the decriminalisation of poverty and status entitled: 'Practitioners' Guide on the Decriminalisation of Poverty and Status'
The Institute also published a new report on the decriminalisation of poverty and status focussed on Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, as part of the global campaign: 'Discrimination and Subjugation: Laws Criminalising and Penalising Poverty and Status in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka' written by ICwS Associate Research Fellow Daron Tan. The paper was officially launched at a side event at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Samoa 2024.