Harm Reduction International (HRI) and supporting organisations welcome the report by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, and wish to take this opportunity to comment on the disproportionate impact of the criminal justice response to drugs on foreign nationals, including migrant women, in countries that retain the death penalty for drug offences.
As highlighted in the Special Rapporteur’s report, migrant women face unique challenges, including a great risk of being subjected to acts of violence such as exploitation and human trafficking. Indeed, migrant women are easy targets for drug trafficking rings because they are often economically vulnerable, but hold passports. Together with murder, drug offences are the most common crimes that lead to death sentences for women.