14 Gender and Security Toolkit Box 3: Multiple forms of gendered safety Physical safety can be defined as the absence of any kind of violence (e.g. physical, emotional, sexual or verbal), including suicidality and self-destructive behaviour; freedom from substance abuse and other addictions; healthy and safe sexual behaviour; the avoidance of unnecessary risks; and maintaining good health practices. Psychological safety is equally critical, and is defined as the ability to feel safe, to rely on one’s own ability to self-protect against any destructive impulses coming from within oneself or deriving from other people, and to keep oneself out of harm’s way. Social safety describes the sense of feeling safe with other people. Creating a safe social environment requires a shift in perspective away from viewing only the individual and towards viewing the individual in context, so that all the chaotic, impulsive and painful feelings of the individual can be safely contained and defused. A strict emphasis on the individual is exchanged for the work of creating and sustaining a well-bounded structure within which all the therapeutic interactions can safely take place. A morally safe environment is one where staff can work with a sense of integrity because their view of what is right is supported by the institution and management, and power holders do not abuse their power. For those held in the institution, it allows an ongoing ethical dialogue and space to explore what is right and wrong in order to grow. Source: Sandra L. Bloom, “The sanctuary model”, Health Management and Policy, Dornslife School of Public Health, Drexel University, sanctuaryweb.com/Home.aspx (accessed 17 October 2019). 2.7 Positive contributions of a gender-responsive approach beyond places of deprivation of liberty Places of deprivation of liberty are just as much part of society as hospitals and schools, yet because the public have limited access to them, they can often be seen as being separate from society. Those leaving places of deprivation of liberty can find themselves with greater levels of mental health problems, addiction or debt, difficulties finding work and issues with acceptance from family and stigma. What happens inside justice institutions can have a lasting effect on individuals, and positive work within them can have an impact far beyond the gates and walls. Opportunity to address SGBV SGBV is a society-wide problem across all cultures. By integrating a gender perspective into programmes addressing offending behaviour, by understanding antisocial masculinities that can lead to violence and by exploring pro-social or alternative masculinities, places of deprivation of liberty can make a contribution towards reducing SGBV.* Understanding what works to reduce SGBV can lead to better government choices through informed policy-making. Such an approach can also have an impact on prison staff attitudes, which have been highlighted as a problem area in research noting high rates of SGBV within correctional officer behaviours.18 Impact on children The Convention on the Rights of the Child is the most widely ratified international human rights instrument. How primary caregivers are treated, where they are detained and the contact they have with their children all have an impact on the best interests of the child. Policies and practices that take into consideration the gendered responsibilities of detainees and prisoners, such as the fact that many women are primary caregivers to children, are a strength of adopting a gender perspective. Maintaining close proximity between incarcerated mothers and their children is important for the mental health of both mothers * Behaviour change programmes and domestic violence perpetrator programmes are discussed in Tool 2, “Policing and Gender”.