CAT/C/39/2 page 24 Committee members were informed that one of the problems of the centre is the rivalries among children belonging to different gangs. Although efforts are made to separate rival gangs, the Committee members were informed of the recent murder of a boy by other fellow detainees who shared the cell with him. 86. On 19 July 2005, the Committee members visited Vila Maria in São Paulo, under the responsibility of FEBEM. The Corregedor of FEBEM was also present. The Committee members visited the premises and spoke to several of the children. The Committee members were informed that a riot had taken place recently, and that a number of juveniles had been transferred to a penitentiary for adults. They were also informed that new units are to be built where detainees will be held in smaller groups. 87. On 22 July 2005, the Committee members visited the Centro de Intenação Provisoria (CEIP), a juvenile centre in Belo Horizonte which had been the subject of press coverage with allegations of torture of juveniles.33 The Director of the Centre had been suspended and replaced by a new Director the day before the visit of the Committee. The Committee members noted that there were discrepancies in the reasons they were given regarding the previous Director’s removal. The centre was overcrowded, having capacity to accommodate 62 inmates, but there were 86 in residence. Thirty younger children (aged 12 to 14) were housed in a better annex nearby. The Director indicated that the girls’ facility, which the Committee members did not see, was much newer. The Committee members interviewed several children who alleged that they had been beaten, particularly at night, and that several monitors were “brutal”. The children seemed intimidated and were reluctant to providing details. Details were not forthcoming. Two children occupied each cell, and mattresses were of very poor quality. The younger children’s annex was a modern facility, better equipped, and the children were very bright and inquisitive, leading the Committee members to question why the older children’s facility could not be maintained to the same standard. 88. On 26 July 2005, they visited Padre Severino, a pre-trial juvenile detention centre in Rio de Janeiro, under the responsibility of DEGASE. The centre could accommodate 180 juveniles, but it housed 283. There were 15 monitors, while according to the vice-director of DEGASE there should be at least 35 per shift. Due to the lack of personnel, only 120 juveniles have access to education and recreational activities. Family visits take place once a week. In principle, juveniles may only be detained in Padre Severino for a maximum period of 45 days before being transferred to other DEGASE institutions. However, a number of the children interviewed, in particular those who were not from the city of Rio de Janeiro, claimed to have been in the centre for four or five months. The Committee members noted that the material conditions were extremely poor: the cells were overcrowded and contained insufficient cement beds. No books or reading material were provided to the detainees. The children complained that their cells contained vermin and that they were often hit and slapped in the face by the monitors. NGOs reported that these beatings often involved the use of wooden clubs or batons, a fact that was confirmed to the Committee by some of the children. 33 Hoje em Dia, Belo Horizonte 21 July 2005; Estado de Minas, 22 July 2005.