by Linda Straker
- 171 recommendations suggested to Grenada during 2025 Universal Period Review
- Iceland, UK, Peru, Phillipines, Nepal, Netherlands, and Latvia contributed recommendations
- Criminal Code Section 234 provides for 10 years imprisonment for intentionally and unlawfully causing abortion
Amending the Criminal Code to legalise abortion under all circumstances is among the 171 recommendations suggested to Grenada during its 2025 Universal Period Review (UPR) or the review of Grenada’s Human Rights report, which was held in Geneva on 5 May 2025.
Section 234 of the Criminal Code states, “Whoever intentionally and unlawfully causes abortion, or miscarriage shall be liable to imprisonment for 10 years.”
Repealing that law is among 6 recommendations offered by Iceland. The Icelandic representative also recommended that Grenada
- abolishes the death penalty
- signs and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
- adopt the reproductive rights health policy, ensuring impactful, sustainable, equitable action on reproductive health
- eliminates barriers to justice for survivors of gender-based violence, and for third-party corroboration in sexual violence cases
- provides comprehensive sexual education in schools
- decriminalise same sex relations between consenting adults by repealing articles 430 and 431 of the Criminal Code
- produces comprehensive updated discrimination laws and ensures legal protection for subjects
The United Kingdom called on Grenada to
- repeal legal discriminatory provisions against individuals based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, particularly those in the Sexual Offences Act and Criminal Code
- ratify and implement the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and
- ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (OP-CEDAW)
Other recommendations as it pertains to the protection of women include adopting an effective legal framework to protect women from all forms of discrimination and violence, which came from Italy. Latvia recommended that the country take all appropriate measures to eradicate discrimination and combat violence against women.
Nepal recommended that Grenada step up efforts to reduce gender-based violence and ensure access to justice for the victims. The Kingdom of the Netherlands recommended that increase efforts be undertaken by strengthening national laws to tackle domestic violence and gender inequalities and eliminate all forms of discrimination against women.
Peru and the Philippines, respectively, recommended that Grenada continue developing actions that fully implement national legislation to end violence against women and strengthen measures to combat gender-based violence against women and children, including by instituting criminal penalties for sexual harassment, improving access to justice, and ensuring the speedy resolution of gender-based violence cases.
