1. Introduction Objectives of this Guidance Note This guide is aimed at any individual or body responsible for monitoring places of deprivation of liberty, including national, regional and international visiting mechanisms. While the types of monitoring mechanisms vary from one jurisdiction to another, and each body has its own mandate, it is hoped that this publication will provide useful guidance to the full range of monitors, including both internal and judicial inspectors, as well as independent external monitors, such as civil society organizations (CSOs), national human rights institutions (NHRIs), ombudsperson institutions and national preventive mechanisms (NPMs). This guide is primarily aimed at those monitoring places of deprivation of liberty within criminal justice institutions, including police custody, pre-trial detention facilities and correctional institutions. Some of the information could also be useful, however, to those groups and individuals monitoring other places of deprivation of liberty, including immigration and refugee detention centres, drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres, military detention facilities, and psychiatric and other medical facilities. Some of the recommendations, however, will not be relevant or appropriate for monitoring these other types of facilities. It is hoped that this guide will also be useful to those responsible for running places of deprivation of liberty, including policymakers, management and staff. Thus, the overall objective of this guidance note is to improve the capacity of detention monitoring mechanisms to identify and prevent SGBV in places of deprivation of liberty and to incorporate gender perspectives into their work. The specific objectives are: • To provide practical guidance on how monitoring mechanisms can incorporate the issue of SGBV in their daily work; • To increase awareness among monitoring mechanisms of the types of behaviour that can constitute SGBV, and the prevalence of such behaviour in places of deprivation of liberty; • To help monitoring mechanisms understand the causes and consequences of SGBV in places of deprivation of liberty, and to include this in their planning; • To identify and address the particular risks and challenges associated with monitoring for SGBV; and • To assist monitors in developing appropriate methodology to research the occurrence of SGBV 8