CAT/OP/ITA/1 accessed detention facilities now faced difficulties in gaining access. Throughout its visit, the SPT did not encounter any individuals acting in an official capacity who monitored the human rights situation of migrants. 50. The SPT found that there were no structures put in place for migrants to file complaints and report human rights violations. The likelihood of migrants facing considerable obstacles in accessing the Italian justice system from abroad places a heightened duty on the State Party on ensuring that complaints mechanisms are effectively available and accessible. The absence of accessible and effective complaints mechanisms for migrants combined with the lack of monitoring, aggravates Italy’s ability to ensure key safeguards to prevent human rights violations, including torture and ill-treatment. 51. The SPT recommends that the State party: (a) urgently ensure internal and external independent monitoring, including through the NPM, of the immigration facilities and processes to guarantee its actions are in compliance with international human rights law and standards, including the prevention of torture and ill-treatment; (b) ensure and facilitate effective and unrestricted access of independent monitoring bodies to any facilities where migrants may be held, including reception facilities, as well as disembarkation and expulsion processes and transfers; (c) ensure that mechanisms are put in place to implement recommendations by the monitoring bodies. D. Overarching issues pertaining to immigration detention 52. The SPT would like to comment on the immigration processes it observed, starting from disembarkation through to expulsion. 1. Disembarkation 53. The SPT observed a calm and orderly disembarkation procedure, which entailed various security and medical checks until migrants were received at the first reception centre (Centro di Soccorso e Prima Accoglienza – first aid and reception centres for migrants and asylum seekers) or referred for onward transportation to elsewhere in Italy. The medical examinations were performed swiftly and focused on detecting communicable diseases. Pregnant women were identified on the ship and transferred by ambulance to hospital upon disembarkation. Medical emergencies were treated the same way. The SPT was concerned that the security checks were performed by male staff only. The SPT also noted that some families were separated for the purposes of disembarkation and that women with children had to wait to be reunited with their spouses, leaving them exposed to the elements and susceptible to separation under less orderly circumstances. 54. The SPT recommends that adequate numbers of male and female staff are present to perform security checks. Moreover, the SPT recommends that families are not separated during disembarkation procedures. 55. Migrants were given a number tag and had their photo taken with it twice during the security checks. FRONTEX staff questioned migrants to ascertain identifying information for the Questura forms, such as name, sex, date of birth, nationality, while the Italian police held an operational role. This procedure was carried out speedily but migrants were not informed of their rights, or the purpose and consequences of the form and their signature. The SPT also noted that this stage did not include any questions to assess whether the individual was seeking protection or was at particular risk. 11