Trinidad and Tobago - Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women List of Issues Prior to Reporting: Death Penalty - January 2023
Country: Trinidad and Tobago
Issues: Death Penalty, Gender-Based Violence, International Advocacy, Women's Rights
Mechanism: UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Report Type: List of Issues Prior to Reporting
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Trinidad and Tobago carried out its last execution in 1999. Although a de facto moratorium is in place, the death penalty remains the mandatory sanction for murder and treason. The Privy Council recently declined to strike down Trinidad and Tobago's mandatory death penalty.
Since the Committee's last review in 2016, the government of Trinidad and Tobago has been reviewing the Offences Against the Person Act and has introduced several forward-looking initiatives in the criminal justice area, such as the establishment of a gender-based police unit. The Government has also beeconsidering the formation of a national human rights institution. Nonetheless, women remain at risk of being sentenced to death and Trinidad and Tobago's retention of the death penalty and its practices regarding the death penalty present an ongoing risk of discrimination against women. Moreover, detention conditions for women violate international human rights standards, and authorities have not engaged the public in meaningful discourse concerning abolition of the death penalty.
