Reprisals as a Consequence of Monitoring Places of Detention

One of the main strategies for preventing torture and other forms of ill-treatment promoted by the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) is the monitoring of places of deprivation of liberty.  

As a consequence of this monitoring work, members of institutions and organizations conducting monitoring, persons deprived of their liberty and their loved ones, persons working in these centers and others may be targeted in an attempt to obstruct their monitoring work and/or to cause real or potential moral, psychological, physical or legal damage.  The term 'reprisals' here refers to such actions.    

In order to address this issue, the APT is in the process of conducting initial research into this matter and has therefore designed this questionnaire of ten questions to gain information and insight.  

After this consultation process with practitioners and partners in all continents and a working meeting to discuss results, the APT will publish a booklet for persons, institutions and organizations involved in monitoring places of detention, which will analyze the phenomenon of reprisals in the particular context of detention monitoring and give suggestions as to methods of prevention and protection against such actions.  

In this way, the APT hopes to provide a practical tool to actors committed to the prevention of torture and ill-treatment.  For this reason, we would be grateful if you could collaborate in this joint effort, by filling out the questionnaire (which you can download as a Word document) and sending it to the contact details indicated at the end.   Questionnaire:  English French Portuguese Spanish