Body searches in prison: specific risks for women, LGBTIQA+ persons and family members

The recording of this session will be uploaded to Youtube - please click on the button on this page or visit the official OMCT Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@omct9148

While sometimes necessary for security reasons, body searches entail a high risk of discrimination, abuse and ill-treatment, by their nature and the way they are implemented in practice. They can be particularly humiliating and traumatic for women and LGBTIQA+ persons deprived of liberty, especially when they involve nudity and physical contact. Persons visiting their relatives in detention can also be exposed to humiliating and degrading body searches.

This panel will bring together representatives from prison administration, independent monitoring bodies, NGOs and family members to discuss the main challenges and promising practices related to body searches of women and LGBTIQA+ persons deprived of liberty, as well as family members visiting their relatives in prison, with a view to advancing gender-responsive criminal justice systems and prevent ill-treatment.

[Picture credit: Ben Buckland]

Languages spoken: English, Spanish and Portuguese
Interpretation available in: EN / ES / POR / FR

Speakers

Veronica Filippeschi
Senior Advisor on Vulnerabilities APT
Christopher Siegersma
Chief Executive Officer Correction Services Agency, Malta
Andrea Casamento
President Asociación Civil de Familiares de Detenidos (ACIFAD)
Caroline Cunha Farias
Member State Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture of Rio de Janeiro