Integrating the Issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Detention Monitoring women in particular, it might mean that they would be taken further away from their homes. Persons deprived of their liberty may also not report abuse because they fear they will be subjected to invasive medical examinations and/or interrogations. • The relationship between the victim and victimizer: The relationship between the victim and the victimizer presents barriers to reporting abuse in all settings and may be particularly complex in places of deprivation of liberty. When SGBV takes the form of coerced sex in return for a benefit, the victim may be reluctant to report due to concern over losing their benefit, or for appearing to have been complicit in breaking prison rules. • Acceptance of SGBV as “part of punishment” or inevitable: SGBV in places of deprivation of liberty is often dismissed as an inevitable, or even deserved, consequence of imprisonment. Newly arrived prisoners, in particular, might expect that sexual violence is part of the informal “initiation” process into prison. Such attitudes can act as a deterrent to reporting abuse. • Absence of independent and effective complaints mechanisms: In some places of deprivation of liberty, there may be no formal procedures for making complaints. In others, detainees/prisoners may not know how to complain or may lack the ability to do so (e.g., if they do not speak the language, are illiterate or have low literacy, have mental health problems or are held in isolation). Women and juveniles may face specific barriers in accessing such procedures. • The view that reporting is pointless and/or a lack of trust in complaint mechanisms: When authorities are unable to prevent SGBV from occurring or fail to take action against perpetrators, survivors may lose hope and fail to report, due to feelings that it is pointless or dangerous. If such violence is perpetrated by staff members, there may be a heightened sense that there is no possibility of remedial action being taken. Allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated by women, in particular, are often not taken seriously by authorities. • Detainees/prisoners are unaware of their rights: Individuals who are deprived of their liberty may not be aware of their right to be protected from violence, and of their right to redress if such violence has occurred. • Fear of ostracism and demotion (staff members): Staff may be reluctant to report incidents of SGBV against detainees/prisoners due to the fear of potential backlash from colleagues and/or detainees/prisoners, the fear of being demoted or losing their jobs, and the fear of being ostracized by other staff for whistleblowing. Assessing the reasons for underreporting – suggestions for monitors To investigate the reasons for under-reporting in particular facilities, monitors could check some of the questions listed below. Please note that some reasons for under-reporting are directly related to complaints mechanisms, and so are included in a later section, on complaints (section 9.7) 17