Promoting gender-sensitivity in international norms of crime prevention and criminal justice
Thailand has been an active member of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). Thailand has advocated for the mainstreaming of basic rights of women and children into criminal justice systems. It plays an important role in the formulation of both the Model Strategies and Practical Measures on the Elimination of Violence Against Women in the Field of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, as well as the Model strategies and practical measures on the elimination of violence against children in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
The UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders or the Bangkok Rules owes it's origin to Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, who has worked tirelessly for the cause of women prisoners in Thailand. As a Public Prosecutor and from her work and contacts with women inmates, Her Royal Highness realized that the 1955 UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (or the SMR) do not sufficiently address the needs of women prisoners. Such needs are very specific and multi-dimensional, ranging from personal hygiene and reproductive health to psychological and mental care. In addition, many women prisoners are also pregnant women, or mothers with child-rearing responsibilities, or breast-feeding mothers. Yet they continue to be vulnerable to
re-victimization and sexual abuses in prisons and correctional facilities. In recognition of the gender-specific needs of women in the criminal justice system, Thailand took the lead in mobilizing international support for the development of the first UN standard for the treatment of women prisoners to supplement the SMRs on gender-specific provisions. Adopted by the General Assembly in 2010, the Bangkok Rules have contributed to significant progress in the treatment of women prisoners and inmates around the world. Currently, Thailand is promoting awareness and implementation of the Bangkok Rules at every level.