2. Why are promoting gender equality and integrating a gender perspective important in places of deprivation of liberty? This section introduces the current context of the changing prison population and some key terms pertaining to gender. The second part, from section 2.6, highlights the advantages and importance of integrating a gender perspective specifically for places of deprivation of liberty. 2.1 Current populations The global prison population is approximately 93.1 per cent male, and the global prison infrastructure, programming and philosophy have developed almost exclusively around this group. However, the female prison population is currently growing at a higher rate than the male population: as Figure 1 shows, since the year 2000 the numbers of women and girls in prison have increased by approximately 53 per cent, from 466,000 to more than 714,000.1 Figure 1: Increase in female prison population 2017 = more than 714,000 women and girls An increase of 53% 2000 = 466,000 women and girls With the rapid growth in the female prison population there is an acknowledgement and realization that more needs to be done to take into consideration the different needs of women and girls, which are not fulfilled by the generalized system in which many women find themselves. * For information on how to reduce the female prison population by reforming legislation and practice see UNODC (2014) Handbook on Women and Imprisonment, Vienna: UN Office on Drugs and Crime, pp. 103–128. Image: Children share school supplies they received from the International Security Assistance Force at the Kabul Female Prison and Detention Center, Afghanistan, 2011 © U.S. Air Force/Sgt. Nestor Cruz.