14
Introduction to the Guide
ols and guidance with the aim of strengthening the capacities of
detention monitoring bodies, such as practical guides on detention
monitoring and on monitoring police custody, and a joint practical
manual on monitoring immigration detention3. Building up on this
expertise, the present guide seeks to enhance and strengthen the
capacities of detention monitoring bodies to identify and address
risk factors contributing to torture and other ill-treatment of LGBTI
persons deprived of liberty. It also aims to raise awareness about
the specific risks of abuse and discrimination faced by LGBTI persons in detention contexts. This publication is therefore not meant
to replace existing guidance on monitoring but rather to complement them.
The specific objectives of the guide are:
To provide background information regarding systemic patterns
and historical forms of discrimination specifically targeting LGBTI
individuals that are conducive to torture and other ill-treatment;
To provide practical guidance regarding specific aspects of the
monitoring methodology and to foster a mindset sensitive to issues
related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression
and sex characteristics (SOGIESC);
To improve the understanding of risk situations faced by LGBTI
persons deprived of liberty with the aim of enhancing their protection
and adequately meeting their needs;
To provide guidance on the situation of LGBTI persons in specific
places of deprivation of liberty, namely prisons, police stations,
and immigration detention facilities;
To bring visibility to the issue and to contribute to ending stigma
and stopping cycles of discrimination and violence.
See inter alia APT, Monitoring places of detention: a practical guide, 2004; APT, Monitoring police
custody: A practical guide, 2013; APT/UNHCR/IDC, Monitoring immigration detention: Practical manual, 2014. More specific tools on LGBTI persons in detention setting includes the APT/PRI LGBTI
persons deprived of their liberty: a framework for preventive monitoring, 2015 [2013] and the APT
database on human rights in prison: www.apt.ch/detention-focus.
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