Gender-Responsive Sentencing Practices in Southeast Asia - The Gap Between International Commitments and Domestic Realities

WICC2025 Presentation by Kate Flower and Billy Gorter (WICC2025-PID046)

Authors

Kate Flower

Program Director, Centre for Law & Transformative Change, Spain

Kate Flower is an experienced Australian lawyer with over 15 years in the law and justice sector, specializing in criminal justice reform. Kate has worked across the globe, from supporting Cambodia’s transition towards improving access to justice to leading a criminal justice project in Myanmar. Her extensive experience spans legal practice, data storytelling, and narrative research, allowing her to apply innovative, evidence-based strategies to complex challenges within correctional and judicial systems. Kate is passionate about improving justice outcomes for women, particularly in correctional settings, and is dedicated to driving reforms that foster rehabilitation and empowerment.

Billy Gorter

Executive Director, This Life, Cambodia

Billy Gorter is the Executive Director and founder of This Life, an organization developing people-centered justice initiatives in Cambodia. His most notable achievement has been establishing Child-Friendly Spaces in prisons to support incarcerated mothers and their children.

Under Billy's leadership, This Life has pioneered innovative justice reform approaches emphasizing community engagement and local solutions. The organization focuses particularly on areas where formal justice systems intersect with vulnerable populations, creating pathways for marginalized communities to access justice.
A key initiative is This Life Without Bars, which provides alternatives to custodial sentences while supporting families affected by incarceration. These programs exemplify people-centered justice, prioritizing individual needs while collaborating with government institutions for sustainable change.

Billy's expertise has earned international recognition, including the Global Grassroots Justice Prize and The Global Good Award for Community Investment. As Executive Director, he has built strong partnerships with Cambodian government ministries while maintaining This Life's commitment to community-led development.

Under his guidance, This Life has expanded its impact across Cambodia, demonstrating how justice systems can be transformed to better serve vulnerable populations.

His approach emphasizes local leadership, evidence-based programming, and sustainable solutions, showing how innovative methods can create more inclusive, accessible, and equitable justice systems while ensuring no one is left behind.

This resource is restricted to a higher membership level - please log in or upgrade your membership level to continue