Overview of the National Preventive Mechanism 1.5 International cooperation The Austrian NPM is always interested in a spirited sharing of experience with other NPMs. IOI supports networking of NPMs As chair of the General Secretariat of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI), the AOB also organises the networking of 200 Ombudsman institutions around the world. Many of these institutions also exercise the NPM mandate and the IOI regularly offers these member institutions training programmes with NPM focus as well as workshops and seminars for the international sharing of experience in this area. SEE NPM Network The Austrian NPM has been a member of the South-East Europe NPM Network (SEE NPM Network) since October 2013. This network promotes the exchange of knowledge and experience as well as mutual support. The Austrian NPM participates regularly in the network meetings and alternately takes over the chair. NPM stratgies on reprisals In 2019 the North Macedonian Ombudsman took over the chair of the SEE NPM Network and organised two meetings in Skopje. The first meeting focused on the topic of NPM strategies on how to deal with the possibility of reprisals. After intense discussion between the NPMs from 13 countries, it was agreed that there is a constant risk of reprisals in all places where liberty is deprived. With the help of the “do no harm” principle and active information programmes, NPMs can, however, create a trusting atmosphere on the basis of which affected persons can speak openly with NPM staff without violation of privacy and confidentiality. Needs of adolescents in detention The special needs of adolescents in detention were discussed at the second SEE Network meeting chaired by North Macedonia. The participants agreed that adolescents are a particularly vulnerable group and that detention should only be used as a measure of last resort. They further voiced the opinion that alternatives to detention should be sought in all cases and that, in the event of detaining adolescents, the attending personnel should be adequately qualified to know the special needs of adolescents in detention and be able to accommodate these. Furthermore, the medical psychological care of adolescents shall be ensured and they shall be informed of their rights in a language and in a manner that they can understand. D-A-CH Network meeting in Zurich Since 2014, the Austrian NPM has been partner of a programme for exchanging experience and ideas between NPMs from the German-speaking countries and participates actively in meetings with colleagues from Germany and Switzerland. The chair alternates between the three member countries (Germany, Austria, Switzerland) within the framework of the D-A-CH Network. In the year under review, the Swiss National Commission for the Prevention of Torture (NCPT) invited partners to a meeting in Zurich at which the participants broached the issue of so-called legally permissible migration- 17