Fourth session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Concept Note
Side Event at the Fourth Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Title: "From the Cradle to the Grave: The Lifelong Criminalization of Survivors"

Date: April 15, 2025

Time: 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. EST

Location: Online Virtual Event
Registration link: https://miami.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZdGGhJPqSK2mH8aI96AMsg

Language: English (possible French and Spanish translation)

Sponsoring entities: University of Miami School of Law, Human Rights Clinic.

Description
Survivors of violence across the African Diaspora—particularly Black women and women of African descent—are often punished rather than protected when seeking safety, defending themselves, or coerced into illegal acts.
A powerful primer to the “Thematic Discussion: Human Rights of Women and Girls of African Descent,” this event will gather global experts, legal practitioners, activists, and policymakers to examine the structural forces behind survivor criminalization. Drawing from the ​report on the criminalization of gender-based violence survivors in the United States, submitted to the Human Rights Council in April 2025, in advance of the 4th Universal Periodic Review of the United States, the discussion will expose systemic barriers to justice and the lasting impact on marginalized communities.


Lead Organizer: Shantanice Vaxter, Clinic Intern, University of Miami, Human Rights Clinic, s.vaxter-clinic@law.miami.edu