On Friday, March 9th at United Nations Headquarters in Geneva, Eurochips attended a conference examining the global condition of children with imprisoned parents.
The conference, a side-event to the March 8th Human Rights Council Annual Full-Day Meeting on the Rights of the Child: Children and the Administration of Justice, was coordinated by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) and co-sponsored by the German and Uruguayan Missions, with the Uruguayan Ambassador presiding.
Rachel Brett of QUNO chaired the event. Participating panelists included Rani Shankardass, Julia Sloth-Neilsen, Helen Kearney, and Oliver Robertson. Shankardass focused on the situation of children with imprisoned parents in India, while Neilsen focused on the condition of these children in Africa. Kearney presented information about children whose parents have been executed or received the death sentence, while Robertson presented a summary of the various reforms proposed during the September 2011 United Nations Day of General Discussion on Children with Imprisoned Parents (UNDGD).
The event successfully presented research and findings from a variety of nations—each with their own particular judicial systems. Raising awareness about children with imprisoned parents on a global level remains challenging, although the focus of the UNDGD last autumn has revealed an increase of awareness at an international level.