In Kazakhstan, for example, video calls are not limited for any prisoners.234 In Portugal, beginning in March 2020, duration-limits on calls were increased and video calls were permitted,235 but calls must be paid for and mobile phones are prohibited in cells – raising questions about whether female prisoners would benefit from these provisions. Special measures should be taken during emergencies to ensure the protection of women deprived of their liberty from sexual and gender-based violence, such as by strengthening internal complaint mechanisms. In Kazakhstan, a domestic violence hotline, operated by the Union of Crisis Centres, has been made accessible to prisoners, so they can speak with lawyers and have legal consultations.236 Continuity of oversight and monitoring mechanisms should be ensured, and risk assessments should include attention to gender-based violence.237 When emergency measures are imposed, in line with general good practices to minimize custodial sentences for women, and taking into consideration the nature of their offenses and the hardships that deprivation of liberty exposes them to, prioritize women prisoners considered at low risk of recidivism for early release, and suspend or defer short sentences. In Spain, the Ministry of the Interior accelerated the release of women in prison with their children (reducing the number of such women from 87 to 69 in four months), by using electronic monitoring bracelets; other prisoners with children were moved to reception floors managed by CSOs that assist in the reintegration of the prisoners.238 In Turkey, female prisoners with children up to age six were released to serve their sentences at home.239 234 See: PRI, “Coronavirus and Women in Detention: A Gender-Specific Approach Missing”, op. cit., note 241. 235 European Prison Observatory, “COVID-19: What Is Happening in European Prisons”, op. cit., note 246, p. 13. 236 ODIHR/Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), Monitoring Places of Detention through the COVID-19 Pandemic, (Warsaw: ODIHR/APT 2020), p. 12, <https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/7/5/453543.pdf>. 237 For more detailed guidance about measures to conduct monitoring during emergency situations, see: Ibid. 238 El Pais, “Los últimos 69 niños en las cárceles españolas, [The Last 69 Children in Spanish Prisons], 6 May 2020, <https://elpais.com/espana/2020-05-06/los-ultimos-69-ninos-en-las-carceles-espanolas.html>. 239 European Network of Legal Experts in Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination, Flash report – Turkey, 3 July 2020, <https:// www.equalitylaw.eu/downloads/5171-turkey-impacts-of-covid-19-measures-on-women-in-turkey-118-kb>. 67