degrading treatment (A/66/268, paras. 67-68, 78). Moreover, any restraint on people with mental disabilities for even a short period of time may constitute torture and ill-treatment. It is essential that an absolute ban on all coercive and non-consensual measures, including restraint and solitary confinement of people with psychological or intellectual disabilities, should apply in all places of deprivation of liberty, including in psychiatric and social care institutions. The environment of patient powerlessness and abusive treatment of persons with disabilities in which restraint and seclusion is used can lead to other non-consensual treatment, such as forced medication and electroshock procedures. Therefore, the Special Rapporteur calls on all State Parties to Impose an absolute ban on all forced and non-consensual medical interventions against persons with disabilities, including the nonconsensual administration of psychosurgery, electroshock and mindaltering drugs such as narcoleptics, the use of restraint and solitary confinement, for both long- and short-term application. Women The United Nations Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Noncustodial Measures for Women Offenders ( known as “the Bangkok rules” ) were adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2010. The rules68 were developed to supplement and complement, as appropriate the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-Custodial Measures (“the Tokyo rules”) in relation to the treatment of women prisoners and alternatives to prison for women offenders. The rules take into account the gender specific requirements of women prisoners, including those that arise through pregnancy and childcare. Of relevance in the present context, rule 22 states that punishment by close confinement or disciplinary segregation shall not be applied to pregnant women, women with infants and breastfeeding mothers in prison. Rule 23 states that disciplinary sanctions for women prisoners shall not include a prohibition on family contact, especially with children. Rule 24 prohibits the use of instruments of restraint on women in labour, during birth and immediately after birth. Rule 41 requires gender sensitive risk assessment and classification of prisoners to take into account the generally lower risk posed by women prisoners to 68 http://www.ohchr.org/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/BangkokRules.pdf 75