considerable success within a short space of time. The City of Vienna has also taken up the NPM’s suggestion that it should offer further training courses on this topic. During their visits the commissions became aware of punishments which involved inhuman and degrading treatment as defined in Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Thus, for example, one child who had defecated in bed during the night and then refused to change the sheets had been made to remain virtually naked in the rain for a period of time as punishment. Such serious interference with the personal integrity of a child or adolescent is never justifiable as a response to challenging behaviour. Approaches of this kind can contribute to stigmatisation of individuals within the group of minors and may have additional negative consequences. Degrading and inhuman treatment At another shared accommodation, a child who had deliberately poured shower gel into his brother’s bed had been made to spend the entire night in the gel-soaked bed to demonstrate how it feels. One commission reported on a shared accommodation where, as a sanction in response to undesirable behaviour, children were placed in isolation in the driveway, courtyard or unheated conservatory, including when it was dark or cold. At one home, the children had to sit on a chair and remain there in silence for a long period. Such punishments are not only inappropriate, but also show that not all facilities are abreast of current standards in social pedagogy. From the standpoint of children’s rights this is unacceptable.  Degrading punishments are impermissible.  Responses to undesirable behaviour must be chronologically directly connected to the behaviour and must be discussed with the minors in question.  Rule violations must be handled individually.  Models for redress need to be established, as an alternative to sanction systems. 2.3.2.5. Unaccompanied minor refugees Starting in January 2015, when there were already 400 unaccompanied minor refugees at the Traiskirchen Initial Reception Centre waiting for transfer to Laender accommodations which fulfil the reception conditions under the Basic Provision Agreement, the NPM paid special attention to this group of asylum seekers. One of the consequences was a press conference at which the AOB, the Head of Commission 6, children and youth advocates, representatives of NGOs and the mayor of Traiskirchen laid emphasis on how damaging mass accommodation can be from a children’s welfare standpoint. At that point no one could foresee the scale of the problem, as it only became apparent during the course of the year. Focus on unaccompanied minor refugees 67