Integrating the Issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Detention Monitoring
• Are those undergoing disciplinary punishments, including segregation/solitary
confinement, regularly visited by a healthcare professional? Can those undergoing such punishment have access to a healthcare professional upon request?
• Are other detainees/prisoners ever employed in any disciplinary capacity? Are
informal systems of punishment among detainees/prisoners prevalent in the
facility?
•
Is the use of disciplinary punishments and protective segregation properly recorded and monitored?
• Are there any CCTV or other monitoring devices in segregation/isolation rooms?
8.7 General Living Conditions and Potential “Blind Spots”
There may be particular parts of places of deprivation of liberty that present high
risks for SGBV. These might include shared cells and toilet and shower areas, as well
as areas that are less well supervised and monitored, including corridors, vocational
and other training rooms and kitchens. The risks may be compounded in areas where
there is no CCTV or other monitoring equipment, or when detainees/prisoners are
taken off the premises for vocational programmes and other activities.
When assessing the risks of SGBV, monitors should inspect all areas of the facility, including potential “blind spots” including sleeping areas, toilets and shower areas. The
supervision of these locations should be balanced against respect for privacy. Monitors might also consider visiting external facilities where detainees/prisoners spend
time, such as training facilities or places of employment, including if they are supervised by staff other than those employed by the detention facility.
In general, overcrowded and under-resourced facilities present greater risks of SGBV,
because staff are unable to properly monitor and control the actions of detainees/staff,
and because staff themselves are able to perpetrate abuses without being noticed, or
because there are not enough resources to deal with the problem.
When assessing the overall living conditions within particular facilities, monitors
should consider:
• What is the level of overcrowding, if any, in the facility?
• What is the staff-prisoner ratio?
• Are all suspects/prisoners provided with a separate bed?
•
Is there regular night-time supervision of cells and dormitories?
• Are arrangements in place to ensure that detainees/prisoners do not have to
shower or use the toilet in public and, specifically, that women do not have to
shower or use the toilet in front of male staff?
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