Mary Magdalene, is that you? | Karen Mamo, Dinah Kate MacMillan

Karen Mamo and Dinah Kate MacMillan

Mamo is a human rights and drug policy advocate from Harm Reduction Malta

MacMillan is a women’s team project manager from EuroNPUD

In the year 2026, women are leaders. Roberta Metsola, Ursula Van Der Leyen, Rebecca Buttigieg, Giorgia Meloni, Debbie Kohner, Sirpa Rautio, are all important names. How are they similar to each other? They hold important decision-making roles and hail from privileged backgrounds affording them the right to an education, the right to family life, and the right to choose a career path. How are they different from each other? Some are courageous to challenge injustices, and violence against women, others perpetuate a culture of indifference.

As we are in the month dedicated to celebrating women’s rights, let us take a moment of reflection on realities faced by women detained in prisons, especially those for non-violent drug related charges. In February 2026, United Nations experts speaking ahead of the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women highlighted that globally women’s imprisonment increased by 60%. This figure is nearly three times that of men. Most women are detained for non-violent offences linked with poverty. The UN experts emphasised the importance to explore alternatives to incarceration, especially for minor, non-violent offences. Under this list one finds women trafficked for prostitution, and others used as ‘drug mules’ to transport drugs across international borders.

A report on the state of prisons in Italy in 2025 is shocking. The NGO Antigone highlights that the overcrowding rate is 133%, and that women represent 4.3% from the total population. Italy has three female prisons, with the one in Venice representing the largest female prison in Europe. The number of foreign women stands at 28.3%, and 11 children live with their mothers in prison. The report sounds the alarm that Italian prisons are reaching a tipping point. When looking at data from Malta, in 2025, a total of 63 women were in prison, out of which only 37 were of Maltese nationality. A critical report on the state of prisons in Malta by the ombudsman published in 2025 unveiled serious shortcomings, with the use of intimidation and abuse adopted as operational tools. Vulnerable people, especially those suffering from drug dependence, were identified as specifically subjected to increased dehumanising treatment and human rights abuse: “The prevailing mentality within the CCF was that ‘any means’ were acceptable to achieve these ends, thus undermining the rule of law and fostering abuses of human dignity. Paradoxically, some inmates highly dependent on illicit substances appeared to tolerate or even welcome these forms of intimidation, particularly when combined with treatment approaches that skirted, or exceeded, acceptable standards.”

Why are Roberta, and Rebecca silent? Have they forgotten the tragedy surrounding the case of Kim Borg Virtu? She was young, hopeful, and in need of support. Instead, she found institutional abuse and perished under the hateful glance of those that should have helped and protected her. This is the politics of indifference.

As two of the few democracies without an independent human rights institution, both Italy and Malta continue to systematically inflict unnecessary harm to women in detention. This is particularly so for people requiring treatment for drug dependence.

Some very simple steps are possible.

First and foremost, to urgently establish an independent human rights Institution with a unit dedicated to investigating and addressing violence against women levied by the state and other institutions.

Secondly, to increase funds towards restorative justice and alternatives to incarceration for non-violent offences, such as drug law offences.

As we celebrate the month dedicated to women’s rights and empowerment, let us take stock of abuses levied against our hidden sisters, and challenge the politics of indifference with one united voice: No more state violence against women!