Integrating the Issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Detention Monitoring 7. COMPOSITION OF THE MONITORING TEAMS The composition of detention monitoring teams should be a critical consideration when determining how best to include the issue of SGBV in monitoring visits. Monitoring mechanisms should also take this into account when assessing the potential risks of SGBV to monitors or to detainees/prisoners during private, one-to-one interviews. Ensuring a well-balanced, representative and professional monitoring team is important not only for establishing trust, but also for building confidence in the monitoring mechanism among detainees/prisoners, staff and the public at large. It follows that if monitors are well-respected, their recommendations are more likely to be properly considered and implemented. 7.1 Identity of the Monitors Those who have experienced sexual abuse might not feel comfortable talking about the abuse. Therefore, if monitors want to conduct individual interviews, the detainees/prisoners, whether male or female, should be given a choice about whom they talk to. This should be done in advance of the interview if possible. Additionally, if it becomes clear during the course of an interview that the detainee/prisoner is not comfortable discussing certain issues with the interviewer, then, if possible, they should be given the opportunity to reconvene at a later time/date with a different person. It should be noted that it is not necessarily the case that female and male detainees would feel more comfortable talking about SGBV with members of their own sex. This may depend on the identity of the person who abused them and on the specific issue, as well as on their own personal preferences and cultural or religious backgrounds. Monitoring teams should, therefore, have an appropriate gender balance for all detention monitoring visits, so that they can get the best possible understanding of any issues of concern. In addition, individuals of particular ethnic or religious backgrounds may only feel comfortable discussing issues of SGBV with persons of similar backgrounds, LGBTI persons may prefer to talk to someone from within the LGBTI community, and others, such as those with disabilities, may only want to speak with someone who understands the particular issues they face. Interviews with children should be conducted by people with appropriate expertise and training. While it will not usually be possible to include a fully representative group in each monitoring visit, monitors should assess the prison population in a particular facility 33