The Bangkok Rules 39 justified by their risk assessment undertaken on admission. Therefore this rule emphasizes the need to develop gender sensitive assessment and classification methods for women prisoners. Rule 42 The requirement included in the SMR to apply individual treatment according to the needs of prisoners (SMR 69), implies that programmes should be available in prisons designed specifically for women prisoners, taking into account their gender specific needs, aiming to address the underlying factors that led to their offence and to cope with the challenges they face as women in prison. The current Rule spells out this requirement more clearly and offers some guidance on what measures might be taken to enable women to participate in activities on an equal basis to men. This Rule also takes account of the gender specific needs of women prisoners, including pregnant women and women with children, as well as the typical background of women prisoners, which increases their need for appropriate, individualized psycho-social counselling and support. Gender sensitive programmes offered to women prisoners to address the underlying causes that led to their offences and to assist in strengthening their confidence, self assurance and parenting skills may include therapeutic programmes, self-help groups and consultation dealing with substance abuse, mental health, history of abuse and domestic violence; parenting programmes, including child visitation programmes and parent education; and special programmes to build confidence and life skills. Programmes to assist women to live independent lives may include programmes to develop administrative skills, bookkeeping, computer skills, painting and decorating, cooking/catering, horticulture, hairdressing, gardening, women’s health, childcare, dressmaking, embroidery managing income generating community projects and the use of micro-credit facilities. Programmes offered should also include others which are not traditionally considered as appropriate for women, due to gender stereotyping. Rule 43 The principle referred in this rule is applicable to all prisoners. However, the small proportion of women prisoners worldwide and the resource implications of building sufficient women’s prisons to ensure that women offenders are imprisoned close to their homes, give rise to a situation in which women may either be housed in annexes of male prisons, close to their places of residence or in women’s prisons, which are most often situated at a long distance from home. Being placed in annexes of male prisons may entail safety risks for the women. Most States have a combination of women’s prisons and separate wings for women in men’s prisons, which means that, in practice, many women are imprisoned a long distance from their homes, which reduces the possibility for family contact. The situation can be particularly problematic in large countries, where huge distances need to be covered to reach women’s prisons. The disruption of family links has extremely harmful emotional consequences for women prisoners, especially if they are mothers, with a detrimental impact on their resettlement prospects. Rule 44 therefore requires prison authorities to remedy this disadvantage by finding ways in which to encourage and facilitate visits to women prisoners. Measures to be considered may include: (1) where possible assisting with transportation, especially where visits to mothers are concerned: (2) extending the length of visits, when families confront difficulties in visiting due to the long distances involved, lack of resources and transport; (3) providing overnight accommodation for families traveling a long way, free-ofcharge; (4) if prisoners have access to telephones, increasing the telephone calls women prisoners are allowed to make to their families, if they are unable to visit due to the long distance;(5) Reducing or eliminating charges for phone calls, where possible; (6) never prohibiting family visits as a disciplinary measure in response to rule breaking by women prisoners; (7) granting prison leave to the greatest extent possible on medical, educational, occupational and family grounds; and do this as soon as and as frequently as possible, taking into account risk factors and family circumstances related to the prisoner concerned; (8) developing cooperation with social services and NGOs to assist with contact between women prisoners and their families; (9) developing other