Integrating the Issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Detention Monitoring itial medical screenings and subsequent appointments with healthcare providers, especially if a prisoner is alone in a room with the healthcare professional. This risk is present during consultations with prison healthcare staff, as well as with external healthcare providers. SGBV can occur in prison healthcare facilities or other locations, such as hospitals and specialist clinics. Such violence might also occur in a prisoner’s cell or place of punishment. Monitors should, therefore, check for reported abuse during medical consultations and during other interactions with medical professionals, as well as measures that have been taken to prevent SGBV occurring in the context of prison healthcare provision. Preparatory research and reviewing existing documentation • Is there a code of conduct for healthcare professionals working in places of deprivation of liberty and, if so, does it address SGBV? Is there anything else in prison healthcare policies and guidelines that relates to the conduct/misconduct of medical staff, including in relation to sexual abuse and discrimination? • Have there been any complaints from detainees/prisoners about SGBV occurring in medical facilities or during other interactions with healthcare professionals? • Are there any recorded instances of prison medical staff having been disciplined or prosecuted because they were found to have subjected detainees/prisoners to SGBV? If so, have authorities made any changes to healthcare policy and practice as a result of this? • Are the details of initial medical screenings, subsequent health appointments, and the detainees’/prisoners’ healthcare needs properly recorded, including the date and location of medical examinations, the identity of the healthcare professional who carried out the examination, and any follow-up action taken? • Are prison medical staff screened for suitability for working in detention settings, including an assessment of their attitudes towards detainees/prisoners? Is this equally the case with healthcare staff employed by private agencies? Inspecting healthcare facilities The location and layout of prison health facilities are important in assessing the risks of SGBV. Health facilities should not be located in isolated areas, yet medical examinations must be able to take place in full privacy and confidentiality. In assessing healthcare facilities for SGBV risk factors, monitors could focus on the following areas: • Where are the healthcare facilities located? Are they particularly isolated? • In what conditions do medical examinations take place? Do the location of doors and windows allow for full privacy and confidentiality? 57