CHAPTER 5 VIEWS AND PERSPECTIVES OF CHILDREN DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY b. Punishment Violence and other punishments were regularly experienced, which not only involved other children, but also the police and security staff. ‘There were fights all day, every day. It was too hard. They were fighting with others from day to night for the bed, for the food, for the toilet’. (M/19/3:WEOG) ‘One could be beaten when he commits mistakes’. (M/14-17/1:WEOG) ‘When a minor misbehaves towards his friends instead of offering him an educational sanction, he is sent to the convicts’ building where the serious criminal offenders are located’. (M/15-18/1:AFG) One young man described an incident of chemical restraint when he was being unruly. ‘I was shouting for my rights and they thought I had epilepsy. They gave me medical treatment, but I threw the pills away’. (M/22/3:WEOG) Some children viewed the use of proportionate restraint as acceptable when children are fighting, to control unruly behaviour and to prevent injury: ‘Restraint should be allowed for safety of the staff’ (M/16-17/1:WEOG). Strip searches, however, were perceived by one boy as problematic, especially if used for no apparent reason, for example if a boy had no record of drug use (M/16/1:WEOG). Several children mentioned suffering physical and verbal abuse during arrest and detention. Boys were more likely to describe physical brutality, while girls thought the police were disrespectful and used sexualised language towards them. Some girls also described being physically assaulted. ‘I would hear people screaming including a minor who had tried to escape they were put in isolation and beaten as repercussion’. (M/22/3:WEOG) ‘They asked me why I ran away from home. When I didn’t answer, why did he slap me?’ (F/10-18/1:APG) The children explained that experiencing disrespectful treatment from staff could increase the chances of riots, retaliation and unrest. 96