Safe in Custody
#SafeInCustody
Everyone should be safe in custody.
To help make this happen, together with our partners, we are working to prevent forced confession and incommunicado detention in Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
We will develop national and regional initiatives, and promote synergies across the three countries, to prevent risky police practices in the first hours of custody.
The #SafeInCustody project will run through to 2024.
The Safe in Custody Manifesto
Introducing the "Safe in Custody Manifesto”. This Manifesto, a public declaration towards torture prevention, outlining the key principles and values that we must aim towards to reduce the risks of ill-treatment in police custody. It embodies a collective call for action based on the work of the Safe in Custody project and our vision for torture-free societies. Join us in championing this cause – click here to see the Manifesto. Click here to show your support and be part of the movement towards a society where everybody can be safe in custody! (Thai manifesto)
Our goals
Increase transparency in police custody
Improve police practices
Build public support for torture prevention
Highlights
Resources
Collaborating for change
In the Philippines, we aim to increase transparency of police custody by building the capacities of the national human rights institution (NHRI) and civil society organisations to monitor police detention. We will develop blended learning and professional tools for those monitoring police custody.
Our national partner is Task Force Detainees Philippines, a national human rights organisation advocating for justice for victims of human rights violations.
Through creative and innovative activities, we aim to empower national stakeholders in Malaysia to build public support for torture prevention.
Together with our partner, SUARAM, we will mobilise local artists and youth, increase community understanding about rights on arrest, and raise awareness about why forced confession and incommunicado detention should be prevented.
SUARAM is a human rights organisation in Malaysia working on issues such as police reform, deaths in custody, free and fair elections, and freedom of expression, among others.
In Thailand, we aim to improve police practices by strengthening the police forces’ capacity to implement safeguards during first hours of custody.
To achieve this, we will engage with high-level police authorities and equip police officers with new skills that will shift policing culture towards rights-based practices and effective interviewing.
Our national partner is Cross Cultural Foundation – Thailand (CrCF), a human rights organisation that supports victims and families of those who have experienced torture, enforced disappearance and ill-treatment in Thailand. It provides strategic litigation and legal aid, as well as coordinating capacity building, research and advocacy initiatives.