World Day Against the Death Penalty is annually observed across the globe on 10th October with an aim to safeguard the health and rights of women and girls across the globe. The day unifies the global abolitionist movement and mobilizes civil society to support the abolition of capital punishment.
10th October 2021 marks the observance of the 19th World Day Against the Death Penalty.
Women Sentenced to Death: An Invisible Reality:
The World Day Against the Death Penalty 2021 is dedicated to women who risk being sentenced to death, who have received a death sentence, who have been executed, and to those who have had their death sentences commuted, exonerated, or pardoned.
Note:
The World Congress Against the Death Penalty will take place in Berlin from 16 November 2022.
Background:
i.The World Day Against the Death Penalty was initiated by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty, a coalition of NGOs in 2003.
ii.In 2007, the Council of Europe and the European Union officially recognized World Day as European Day Against the Death Penalty.
Death Penalty across the world:
i.In 2020, 7 countries (Ghana, Japan, Maldives, Taiwan, Thailand, USA, Zambia) have confirmed to have women under the sentence of death.
ii.In 2020 around 483 individuals were executed, of which 16 were women, located in Egypt, Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
iii.108 countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes, 28 countries are abolitionists in practice and 55 countries are retentionist, retain the death penalty for ordinary crimes.
iv.China, Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia carried out the most executions in 2020.
Death penalty in India:
i.India has carried out 8 executions since 2000, the last execution was in March 2020, where the 4 convicts of the December 2012 gang rape and murder of Jyoti Singh were executed.
ii.As of December 31, 2020, a total of 404 prisoners are on death row with Uttar Pradesh having the most number of such prisoners at 59, followed by Maharashtra at 45 and Madhya Pradesh at 37.
