Introduction to the Guide 15 Target audience This guide is intended for any institution or organisation that carries out visits and inspections to places of deprivation of liberty. It has been primarily designed for members of National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs) operating under the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture (OPCAT) with mandates to prevent torture and other forms of ill-treatment across all places of deprivation of liberty in their jurisdictions. It is also aimed at other institutions with a visiting mandate, including international and regional bodies, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), UN Human Rights Council Special Procedures, civil society organisations, lay visitor schemes, and parliamentary bodies. NGOs specifically working on LGBTI issues are also a target audience. Internal inspection mechanisms may also benefit from the guide. Finally, the information in the guide might also be useful to: Authorities in charge of places of detention; Staff working in places of detention, including healthcare and social welfare personnel; Policy-makers; Training centers for law enforcement and prison staff; Lawyers, judges, and prosecutors; Persons deprived of their liberty and their relatives; Immigration officers and staff of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (particularly the section on monitoring immigration detention); External service providers, chaplains, and other persons working in places of deprivation of liberty. Structure of the guide The guide is made up of an introduction and five main chapters. Chapter I provides a general analysis of the reasons why LGBTI persons deprived of liberty are specifically exposed to torture and illtreatment across the world. It briefly elaborates on how international human rights law applies to LGBTI persons and reflects on the