13 Working methods Many different factors have a bearing on the scope of torture and inhuman treatment. Effective preventive work requires a holistic approach. One of the most important aspects of our work is to speak directly to persons deprived of their liberty. Reasons for torture or inhuman treatment are complex and influenced by legal and institutional frameworks, physical conditions, training, resources, management, and institutional culture.1 The National Preventive Mechanism’s (NPM) main task is to identify the risk of torture and inhuman treatment to prevent people from being subjected to such violations. Our work is based on international conventions, rules and standards. The possibility to choose which places we visit, and when and how we carry out the visit, is decisive for an efficient and credible prevention mandate. It also requires access to all parts of the institutions we visit, and the opportunity to conduct private interviews with all persons present at the institution. The core of our work is to investigate and understand the specific challenges of the places we visit, to make recommendations on how the risk of inhuman treatment can be limited in order to better safeguard the people who have been deprived of their liberty, and use dialogue as a means of implementing change. The NPM therefore has a broad methodical approach. Our primary method is to visit places where people are deprived of their liberty. This gives us the opportunity to speak with people deprived of their liberty, and it gives a good insight into the conditions within institutions. In addition to conducting preventive visits, the NPM works strategically on knowledge sharing, competance building, and advocacy. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with authorities, educational institutions and civil society, and cooperate closely with international human rights bodies. — In 2018 the NPM carried out three visits to child welfare institutions, three visits to prisons and five visits to mental healthcare institutions. — Visits to places where people are deprived of their liberty During our visit, we would like to have a private conversation with you. Your experience can help others and people who come here at a later date. The conversations are kept confidential. We do not give advance notice of our visits to ensure that the conditions we observe at your institution are as accurate as possible. After the visit, we write a report describing our findings from the visit. The report also contains recommendations about what should be done to prevent anyone being subjected to inhuman or degrading treatment. Read more at: www.sivilombudsmannen.no or in our brochure. You can ask one of the staff for a brochure. The report is made public. Prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment www.sivilombudsmannen.no 22 82 85 00 or 800 80 039 (Free number) P.O. Box 3 Sentrum, NO-0101 Oslo Sivilombudsmannens forebyggingsenhet 1 See the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (SPT), The approach of the Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to the concept of prevention of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, 30 December 2010 CAT/OP/12/6.