Until recently Ireland was seen as a jurisdiction with low levels of imprisonment of women. However, over the last few years levels of imprisonment of women have seen a steady and significant rise. Women are usually imprisoned for non-violent offences and for sentences of less than one year. Typically, the majority of imprisoned women are mothers and the impact of their imprisonment falls particularly hard on their children. The Irish Penal Reform Trust estimates that only 5 percent of these children remain at home during their mother’s incarceration. As a result, the issue of imprisonment of women can be viewed through the perspective of child rights, and in particular the obligations a country such as Ireland owes under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Convention on Human Rights. This paper will consider some of the issues raised by this child rights perspective, particularly those in relation to sentencing of women offenders. The paper is based on background research in Ireland and will therefore offer some early consideration of Ireland’s experience whilst drawing on recent research in the UK and Denmark to help consider and inform the issue of how child rights can improve the treatment of women offenders.