In March 2022, the UPR Project at BCU submitted a joint submission to Brazil’s UPR with our partners at the Universidade Federal Fluminense and Universidade Estácio De Sá in Brazil. Our report is concerned with the rights of pregnant women and mothers deprived of liberty.
Consultancy background
Led by Natalia Brigagão, this joint submission to Brazil’s UPR, alongside our Centre for American Legal Studies, furthered CALS’ partnership with the Universidade Federal Fluminense and Universidade Estácio De Sá in Brazil. Our report is concerned with the rights of pregnant women and mothers deprived of liberty. Itdiscusses and proposes recommendations across four main topics: (1) Female overincarceration, (2) Implementation of detention alternatives, (3) Prison conditions and healthcare, and (4) Violence, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and accountability.
On 31st August 2022, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published its Stakeholder Summary Report for Brazil, which cited the Stakeholder Report submitted by UPR Project at BCU:
“A strong emphasis was placed on the reduction the civic space and the reduction of civil society participation in public affairs.” (Para 12)
“AI added that some recently approved laws may have a negative impact on the already high rates of incarceration and violence. JS12 and JS45 reported the degradation of the prisons conditions, including overcrowding, food insecurity and poor health.” (Para 19)
“IACHR, AI and JS39 expressed concern regarding the situation of persons deprived of liberty in face of the Covid-19 pandemic...” (Para 21)
“JS29 and JS39 noted that the incarceration of women continued to grow exponentially, in particular of Afro-Brazilian women. They recommended to privilege house arrest or early release for pregnant women and mothers with care responsibilities and the termination of the handcuffing of some women when giving birth.” (Para 22)
(Outcome of the review yet to be published)
Researchers
- Natalia Brigagão
- Dr. Anne Richardson-Oakes
- Professor Fernanda Duarte (Partner)
- Professor Rafael Mario Iorio (Partner)
- Professor Ricardo Perlingeiro (Partner)
About the UPR Project at BCU
The Centre for Human Rights (CHR) has been engaging with the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) since 2016. Under the auspice of the Human Rights Council, the UPR is an intergovernmental process providing a review of the human rights record of all Member States.
Through the UPR Project at BCU, the CHR we engage with the UPR through taking part in the UPR Pre-sessions, providing capacity building for UPR stakeholders and National Human Rights Institutions, and the filing of stakeholder reports in selected sessions. The UPR Project is designed to help meet the challenges facing the safeguarding of human rights around the world, and to help ensure that UPR recommendations are translated into domestic legal change in member state parliaments.
We fully support the UPR ethos of encouraging the sharing of best practice globally to protect everyone's human rights.The UPR Project at BCU engages with the UPR regularly as a stakeholder, having submitted numerous reports and been cited by the OHCHR.