22 2. Staff members participating in performing tasks related to the NPM… members, the number of the representatives of either sex may exceed that of the other by one at the most.54 The staff members of my Office permanently authorised to perform tasks related to the NPM55 carry out their activities within a separate organizational unit, the OPCAT National Preventive Mechanism Department 56 (hereinafter the “Department”). On 1 January 2018, the Department started to operate with three psychologists and six lawyers on board, but one of the lawyers left a couple of weeks later. The Department’s gender composition was in compliance with the provisions of the Ombudsman Act. In 2018, while performing the tasks related to the NPM, I faced two major challenges. On the one hand, due to the lack of applicants, we could not fill the two physician positions stipulated in Section 39/D(4) of the Ombudsman Act. My Office employed the physicians participating in the NPM’s visits on an ad hoc basis, using civil law contracts. On the other hand, staff turnover was rather high among the lawyers participating in the performance of tasks related to the NPM. The vacated lawyer position was filled through an open call for application, in accordance with the Ombudsman Act’s provisions on gender composition. Taking over and completing the ongoing tasks of the departing colleague, and filling the vacated position placed a heavy burden on the staff members of the Department. Due to the permanently vacant physician and the temporarily vacant lawyer positions, the Department worked, on average, with eight public servant staff members during the year. 2.2. Ad hoc experts In addition to the public servant staff members, I may also authorise, either permanently or on an ad hoc basis, other experts to contribute to performing the tasks related to the NPM.57 In its report on the country visit to Sweden between 10 and 14 March 2008, the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture pointed out that “prevention necessitates the examination of rights and conditions from the very outset of deprivation of liberty until the moment of release. Such examination should take a multi-disciplinary approach and involve, for example, the medical profession, children and gender specialists and psychologists in addition to a strict legal focus.” 58 54 55 56 57 58 See Section 39/D(4) of the Ombudsman Act. See Section 39/D(3)-(4) of the Ombudsman Act. SPT: Guidelines on national preventive mechanisms (Clause 32 of CAT/OP/12/5). See Section 39/D(3) of the Ombudsman Act. See: SPT: Report on the Visit of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to Sweden (10 September 2008), (Clause 36 of CAT/OP/SWE/1).