The Police and the Judiciary – A Focused Call to Action
At every stage of the judiciary process – from arrest to release – there is still a pressing need for greater awareness-raising and advocacy work to mobilise key stakeholders to support children with a parent in conflict with the law. This year’s campaign is advocacy-based in its strategy and focuses on two key stakeholders: the police and the judiciary.
The goal is to engage with these stakeholders, initiate discussions and disseminate the wealth of resources and materials produced, including toolkits and guidelines, to raise awareness and encourage meaningful action for children on a pan-European level. Supporting children during these two key moments of transition — both the arrest, and the court proceedings and sentencing stage — is critical to help safeguard their future.
Campaign Details:
For the purposes of this campaign, COPE has created new two Advocacy Packs, one for the police and one for the judiciary. Included are the following: letters for stakeholders, concise introductions to the subject, key considerations, examples of good practice and links to guidelines, toolkits and further relevant materials. They are currently available in English, however we can support with translation. Please find these at the bottom of the page.
This focused awareness-raising is encouraged to go hand-in-hand with a wider call to action amongst the general public. COPE will be increasing social media output during the month of June to reach as many new audiences as possible.
Witnessing a parent’s arrest may be a child’s first encounter with the law enforcement system and can be a highly traumatic event. Yet the presence – let alone rights and needs – of children often go unmet during this encounter with law enforcement officers. Likewise, the decisions made concerning a primary caregiver’s sentencing have a direct impact on their dependent children and yet the best interests of those children are rarely considered. This year’s campaign seeks to tackle this lack of awareness and engagement in the justice and law enforcement systems across Europe, centralising the needs and rights of children with a parent in conflict with the law.
COPE members, and others further afield, are welcome to join in this focused call to action to establish positive and lasting working collaborations as well as meaningful change across the law-enforcement and judicial systems.
Advocacy Pack Materials