produced First, Do No Harm: segregation, restraint, and pepper spray use in women’s prisons in Aotearoa New Zealand.153 128. The report shines a light on harmful practices in women’s prisons in Aotearoa New Zealand. Among the key findings was the high use of solitary confinement and other punitive practices towards women. 129. In 2019 women were segregated significantly (73%) more than men in Aotearoa New Zealand’s prisons. While the majority of segregations were relatively short, there were 101 occasions in 2019 where women spent 15 days or longer in segregation, a period defined as ‘prolonged’ and prohibited as a form of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment in the UN Nelson Mandela Rules. Māori and Pacific women were disproportionately segregated in Management and Separates Units used for control and punishment.154 130. The Committee may wish to: (a) Ask the Government to report on measures to reduce both the use and length or seclusion and restraint; improvements to material conditions in seclusion; measures taken to provide therapeutic conditions and alternatives to seclusion; and how it is addressing inequities for Māori and Pacific women. (b) Recommend that the Government: i. Implements the recommendations of the Paradigm Shift and First, Do No Harm report; and ii. Works in partnership with Māori to adopt more humane and tikanga-based initiatives instead of seclusion and restraint. Zero seclusion project 131. The Government’s Zero seclusion: Safety and dignity for all by 2020 project specifically focuses on eliminating seclusion in Aotearoa New Zealand’s mental health facilities. The project aims to contribute to the goal of zero seclusion by reducing seclusion rates in adult mental health inpatient units (excluding forensics) in participating localities to 5 percent or below by December 2023.155 132. Recent figures show a national decrease in seclusion rates in inpatient mental health units, including a substantial drop for Māori and Pacific peoples.156 Data shows a 12.6% decrease in the use of seclusion in mental health facilities since the 2020 year. 133. However, we note that between July 2020 and June 2021, 9.5% of people were still secluded in adult mental health services and many were secluded more than once (on average 2.2 153 Dr Sharon Shalev, First, Do No Harm: segregation, restraint, and pepper spray use in women’s prisons in Aotearoa New Zealand (2021) available at https://tikatangata.org.nz/our-work/first-do-no-harm-segregation-restraint-and-pepperspray-use-in-womens-prisons-in-new-zealand. 154 Ibid., at p. 10-11. 155 See, https://www.hqsc.govt.nz/our-work/mental-health-and-addiction-quality-improvement/projects/zero-seclusionsafety-and-dignity-for-all/ . 156 Health Quality and Safety Commission National decrease in seclusion – the numbers (1 July 2022) available at https://www.health.govt.nz/publication/guidelines-reducing-and-eliminating-seclusion-and-restraint-under-mentalhealth-compulsory 32