By: Amy Barefoot-Graedon
UNC School of Law students traveled to New York in October 2025 to present testimony on human rights violations against incarcerated women at a United Nations side event, marking a significant achievement for Carolina Law’s Criminalized Survivor, Detention, and Justice Clinic (CSDJC).
Students Emma Santizo, Beth LeCroy, and Avery Fletcher attended the People’s Universal Periodic Review at the Church Center of the United Nations, where they supported formerly incarcerated advocate Mona Evans as she testified before UN delegates, mission representatives, and human rights experts.
The students’ work stems from a civil society report they submitted to the UN Human Rights Council examining the lifelong criminalization of survivors of gender-based violence. The report, titled “From the Cradle to the Grave: The Lifelong Criminalization of Survivors of Gender-Based Violence,” represents collaboration between law schools across the country and is led by the CSJDC.
“We successfully nominated Mona Evans, a formerly incarcerated woman with whom the clinic has been collaborating,” said Deborah M. Weissman, the Reef C. Ivey II Distinguished Professor of Law and director of the clinic. “She’s been selected to provide testimony to the UN delegates, mission representatives, and other human rights experts who will be considering these issues.”
The People’s Universal Periodic Review was organized as a side event during the Third Committee Session at UN headquarters. The event comes as the United States government is refusing to participate in the official Fourth Universal Periodic Review process, which allows all UN member states to undergo peer review of their human rights records every 4.5 years.
The UPR process, which was scheduled for November 2025, prompted U.S. civil society organizations to mobilize independently to ensure that the voices of directly impacted persons are heard.
“We are really proud and thrilled to be able to participate and to have successfully supported Ms. Evans, who was one of the few out of many selected to give testimony,” said Weissman.
The clinic’s report articulated human rights violations suffered by women in prison who have been victims of gender violence. Following its successful submission, the students were invited to participate in the October 2025 event, which was livestreamed for international audiences and attended by UN and embassy staffers from New York and Geneva.
The testimony presentation coincided with University Research Week at UNC-Chapel Hill, highlighting research with real-world impact from Carolina Law.
Student clinic members also organized a panel of Inter-American Commission on Human Rights experts on the same issue and hosting a program at Carolina Law on Nov. 20, 2025.
CSDJC provides students with hands-on experience advocating for incarcerated women while addressing systemic issues of gender-based violence and mass incarceration. Additionally, student Anjali Purohit is working on the UPR presentation materials, though she was unable to travel to New York.
The Church Center event included lunch and opportunities for directly impacted persons to testify in person, with prerecorded testimonies from those unable to attend played during the session.
