OSCE side event on “Advancing Gender Equality in Organized Crime Prevention and Exit Strategies” on the margins of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women

On 11 March 2024, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department co-organized a side event with the OSCE Chairpersonship of Malta on "Empowering Women for Justice: Advancing Gender Equality in Organized Crime Prevention and Exit Strategies," on the margins of the 68th Commission on the Status of Women. The event was hosted by the Permanent Mission of Malta and co-sponsored by the Permanent Missions of Albania, Canada, Italy, Sweden and the Republic of Tajikistan to the United Nations. 

Drawing on the findings and recommendations of the OSCE report on “Understanding the role of women in organized crime”, the side event was an opportunity to discuss the various roles women play in organized crime groups and what is required to develop a more gender-sensitive criminal justice response to transnational organized crime. Reflecting the whole-of-society approach that underpins gender-inclusive approaches to organized crime, the side event brought together over 90 participants including policymakers, criminal justice practitioners and civil society. 

Opening the event, Ambassador Vanessa Frazier, Permanent Representative of Malta to the UN, emphasized that "achieving and promoting gender equality at all stages of the fight against transnational organized crime is a priority for the OSCE Chairpersonship of Malta. Gender mainstreaming is essential to understanding the root causes of transnational organized crime, to enhancing prevention and response efforts, and to empowering witnesses and victims to seek justice."

OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid underscored that "OSCE research shows that women’s agency in organized crime is often not recognized. This leads to women being underrepresented in and sometimes largely absent from prevention, exit and witness protection initiatives. A cultural shift and strong commitment by national authorities to gender mainstreaming is needed to promote responses to organized crime that fully recognize and address the different roles played by women and men. The OSCE supports its participating States in implementing this commitment.”

This was the first Commission on the Status of Women side event to focus on women’s role in organized crime, marking an important step towards improving the recognition of women’s agency in organized crime and their subsequent representation in prevention and exit initiatives.