Get involved Campaigns Human Rights Day 2025 As a charity set up in 1978 to protect the health, wellbeing and human rights of British citizens imprisoned abroad, Human Rights Day on 10th December is arguably the most important date in our diary - and this year, it's all the more pressing as we see rising numbers and increased need in prisons around the world. In the lead up to the day itself, we're inviting you to learn more about some key trends and find out how you can help. The situation In May 2025, there were several high-profile cases involving young British people arrested abroad and, since then, more and more reports have hit the news. This was indicative of a rising trend which Prisoners Abroad first started to become aware of in late 2024. Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022 and this seems to have led to a rise in arrests both there and around the world, as people leave Thailand with drugs and are later arrested in countries of onwards travel. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) have recently launched a campaign, aimed particularly at young people who may be at risk of being groomed to traffic drugs and with reference in Thailand. This is part of their wider Travel Aware campaign, which Prisoners Abroad helps to promote. Find out more here. Between late 2024 and September 2025, we have seen over 80 new cases which can be directly linked to Thailand. But the issue is not just restricted to Thailand; new arrests are up 55% across the board, with new drugs cases up 57% on the previous year. We saw 243 new instances of British people arrested for drugs offences in the last financial year (April 2024 to March 2025), compared to 155 in the previous year, accounting for 49% of the total new cases. In the first eight months of this year, we have already seen 255 arrests for drugs offences - 55% of all new cases since April 2025. We are seeing that women and young people are particularly impacted; women made up 62% of new drugs-related cases in the last year, while younger age groups (those under 34) made up 65% of drugs-related cases. Currently, women make up 19% of new cases seen so far this year. For comparison, last year this was 13%. The impact While there are some early signs that the number of new arrests may be plateauing, the impact on those we support - and on the support we can provide - will be long-lasting. Many of these new arrests are in countries where prison conditions are particularly poor and sentences are likely to be very harsh. This means that demand for our survival grants - which are provided to people in countries where provision of food and water is not sufficient to live on - is growing. Someone who was imprisoned in Morocco says: Your financial assistance was invaluable to me as it enabled me to live like a human; being able to buy the basic necessary items means so much, when you have so little. This year, we now expect to spend an extra £45,000 on survival grants because of these rising numbers, so our resources - both in staff time and the financial contributions we can offer to people who desperately need them - are stretched. Christopher Stacey, Chief Executive of Prisoners Abroad, says: “When you see photos in the media of suitcases packed full of drugs, it can be easy to jump straight to having little sympathy. But for Prisoners Abroad as a charity, this isn’t about sympathy, or whether someone should or shouldn’t be in prison, it’s about people’s basic needs and their dignity, supporting people while they’re in prison. It is also important to remember that, at the point many stories hit the news, people are yet to be convicted of any crime. For the last 47 years, we have supported British people who have found themselves in prison abroad for all kinds of reasons. Importantly for us, we take a non-judgmental approach. We believe everyone deserves to have their human rights and dignity upheld and that no one should be subject to torture, inhuman or degrading treatment. We support British citizens whether convicted or unconvicted, guilty or innocent, regardless of the offence, and solely on the basis of need. An arrest, particularly overseas, affects many more than just the person in prison; there is a huge impact on family who will feel incredibly isolated and experience a wide range of emotions towards their relative in prison. Judgemental comments about their relative can have a real and lasting impact on their mental health, ability to maintain relationships, and to ask for help and support. The increase in cases also has implications for our work as a charity – there is a significant strain on our resources, both in the staff time that we need to support people on an individual level, and in the costs of providing the much-needed practical support that we know people need. Irrespective of the reason for arrest, no person in prison should suffer conditions threatening their life, dignity or health. We want to reduce isolation, give people hope, and above all else keep people alive by supporting their physical and mental wellbeing. And that’s why we’ll continue in our mission to protect, support and advocate for the health, welfare and human rights of British citizens in prison abroad and their families.” How you can help To weather this storm, we need you to get involved so that people can have access to the very basics - proper food and clean water - necessary to survive a prison sentence. 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