The 11th European Forum on the Rights of the Child took place in Brussels on 7-8 November 2017, focussing on “Children deprived of liberty and alternatives to detention”.

There were a number of presentations during the Forum, notably from Manfred Nowak, Independent Expert for the United Nations Secretary-General’s study on children deprived of liberty and Professor of International Law and Human Rights at the University of Vienna, who presented the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, which provided a general framework for the Forum. 

Judge Renate Winter, Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, was a keynote speaker on Day Two of the Forum, raising the issue of how to highlight the “added value” of an initiative, particularly criticising Member State inaction in funding the Global Study. She raised a number of questions, asking if Member States were afraid of the truth and whether detention can be considered an “easy solution” (as problems are then hidden). She concluded by emphasising the importance of having children of prisoners occupy a higher position on policy agendas.

European Commission coordinator for the rights of the child Margaret Tuite and her team have been applauded by COPE for putting children separated from a parent in prison on the agenda as part of the theme of the Forum. During the three-day event, personal testimonies by young people affected by having a parent in prison brought to light some of the issues and specific needs that they may encounter. Dylan Moore from Scotland spoke about his experience after his father was imprisoned, the isolation and stigma that it brought, the need to hide it from his friends, and protect and support his mother:

When my mum told me that my dad was in prison, I was 12 years old and just about to start high school… At 12 years old, we’re usually just beginning to develop a sense of our own identity – but having a parent in prison essentially launches you into adulthood whether you’re ready or not. You’re dealing with a very adult situation. In some ways the parent/child roles are switched – I assumed all the control in the relationship with my father, because I had all the responsibility of maintaining it.

Forum attendees also heard a personal testimony shared by Linnèa, from Sweden. Linnèa spoke about her experience of having her father in prison when growing up and how happy she was when he was able to return home thanks to the use of electronic monitoring. During the session, probation was discussed as an important measure that helps families to remain in contact and that involves minimal disruption to the child-parent relationship.

Liz Ayre, Executive Director of COPE, pointed out the necessity of EU funding in promoting initiatives across Europe—noting the example of how children’s contact with their imprisoned mothers in Croatia had declined dramatically since the end of the two-year EU-funded MA#ME project.

Rachel Brett represented COPE on a panel entitled “Vulnerabilities and pathways related to parental imprisonment”. She discussed how the physical and emotional separation caused by a parent’s imprisonment has a more negative impact on the child then non-custodial alternatives. She also explored the question of children living in institutions (how many children are in institutions due to the imprisonment of a primary caregiver) and the clear lack of data on the situation and numbers of children concerned by this.

Lina Helmar, a youth worker with BUFFF Sweden, spoke about her mother’s imprisonment while she was growing up and how she felt lonely and often ashamed, building a wall between herself and others; becoming a “chameleon” to blend in. She expressed a desire to have had the kind of support growing up that is available to others now, from NGO BUFFF and other members of the COPE network across Europe.

The Forum was a positive and enriching three-day experience that provided many opportunities for exchange, knowledge-sharing and discussion, bringing light to the situation of all children deprived of liberty. A more detailed report on the Forum can be found here.