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An Anticolonial, Abolitionist, and Feminist Lens to Interrogate Human Rights Penality

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A Research Agenda for a Human Rights Centred Criminology

Part of the book series: Palgrave Critical Studies in Human Rights and Criminology ((PCSHRC))

Abstract

International human rights (IHR) instruments, case law, and principles are often perceived as mechanisms to curtail state coercion, safeguard democracy, and prevent abuses of penal power. However, a closer examination of the dominant human rights discourse reveals a problematic aspect: its contribution to bolstering the penal apparatus and universalising Western-style penality as a primary signifier of justice. This “human rights penality” is enhanced by IHR bodies’ mandates, increasingly urging states to criminalise, prosecute, and punish human rights violations, including violence against women. In this chapter, I argue that adopting an anticolonial and feminist perspective is essential for delving deeper into the paradox that mainstream human rights may inadvertently perpetuate a patriarchal and colonial carceral order.

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Acknowledgements

A portion of the arguments presented in this chapter were developed thanks to research funded by the Leverhulme Trust, under the Early Career Fellowships scheme. I am grateful to the collectives and activists that have participated in this project, especially Mujeres de Frente, Coredores Migratorios, Fundación Dignidad, CDH Guayaquil, Vivir Libre, and Alianza Contra las Prisiones.

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  1. Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Silvana Tapia Tapia

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  1. Silvana Tapia Tapia
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Correspondence to Silvana Tapia Tapia .

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  1. Canberra Law School, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Leanne Weber

  2. College of Business, Government & Law, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Marinella Marmo

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Tapia Tapia, S. (2024). An Anticolonial, Abolitionist, and Feminist Lens to Interrogate Human Rights Penality. In: Weber, L., Marmo, M. (eds) A Research Agenda for a Human Rights Centred Criminology. Palgrave Critical Studies in Human Rights and Criminology. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-46289-4_7

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