This is a side event of the WO=MEN’s campaign, which focuses on strengthening the feminist movements in the Netherlands and surrounding Beijing+30 and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA). This event is organised by Penal Reform International, Women Beyond Walls, the Campaign to Decriminalise Poverty and Status, Bureau Clara Wichmann, La Strada International, and the Amsterdam Law Hub.

Research shows that many women are criminalized due to poverty and social status factors like age, gender, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, which contribute to the rising global female imprisonment rates. Offenses committed by women are often tied to poverty, as they try to support their families. Although women make up only 7% of the global prison population, their numbers are growing faster than men’s.

Poverty forces many women into sex work as a survival strategy, and they often face legal consequences for actions driven by necessity. The global sex industry includes both trafficked women and those who choose sex work voluntarily, but all face stigma and legal challenges. Transgender women, excluded from mainstream employment, often turn to sex work, further marginalized by financial strain and discrimination. Laws that criminalize sex work increase their vulnerability, limiting their access to justice and healthcare. Treating sex work the same as trafficking overlooks the reality that many women engage in it for survival, not as victims. 

Reform is needed to decriminalize sex work and ensure women are not punished for their economic choices, while providing them with rights and protections. By including sex workers in the global conversation on women’s rights, we can advocate for gender-sensitive reforms that empower women and address the deeper issues of poverty and inequality.

Programme

Moderator: Nathalie Dijkman-Atria, Director, Amsterdam Law Hub

Opening remarks: Jerome Mangelinckx, Global Policy Manager, Penal Reform International

Speakers:

• Ms. Isabella Cordua, Senior Researcher, Women Beyond Walls, UK/Australia (online)

• Ms. Lilianne Ploumen, Senior Advisor, Bureau Clara Wichmann, the Netherlands

• Ms. Suzanne Hoff, International Coordinator, La Strada International, the

  Netherlands

• Mischa Tydeman, Activist and person with lived experience, the Netherlands (Dutch)

Closing remarks (5 mins): Olivia Rope, Executive Director, Penal Reform International

Q&A 

This event will be a hybrid event: in person and online.

We hope to see you all at the Amsterdam Law Hub on November 28.