-55 than others to accommodate detainees with physical disabilities. While in some women and children are accommodated in separate facilities, away from their relatives and friends, others take into account, at least to some degree, their needs to keep close to their social networks. These systems also differ in the extent to which they are able to protect certain individuals and groups against violence. There are also vulnerabilities specific to the national context. In some states, certain groups and individuals in detention become vulnerable because of their political activity (e.g. separatists), ethnic belonging, religious affiliation or social status. These are country-specific vulnerabilities, which should also be taken into account when choosing the focus. In any case, the NPM should be able to justify its choice based on both general and country-specific criteria (see text box). In 2017, the Danish Ombudsman, acting as the NPM, published a thematic report on young people in secure care residential institutions and local and state prisons. The Ombudsman justified this focus by both general and country-specific criteria. The Ombudsman’s monitoring activities are aimed at the most vulnerable citizens. “Characteristic of these vulnerable citizens are, among other things, that they have very few resources and that their rights can easily come under pressure. This can also apply to young people in secure care residential institutions, and in local and state prisons.” In addition, the specificities of the regime in these institutions as defined by Danish law, which is particularly strict, served as an additional justification of the Ombudsman’s focus on young people in secure care residential institutions and local and state prisons. (Folketingets Ombudsmand, Thematic report 2017: Young people in secure care residential institutions and local and state prisons, 2017, p. 7, available at: https://en.ombudsmanden.dk/publications/thematic_reports/thematic_report_2017/, accessed 9 October 2020. Every EU member state is bound by both national and the international standards for human rights protection. The latter are legally binding standards of international law, standards of law of the European Union and “soft” standards, developed at the UN, Council of Europe and Prisoners in a Situation of Vulnerability