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 … Read More
children with imprisoned parents
UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty
In 2016, the UN launched a “Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty”. There is a severe lack of quantitative and qualitative data, research and verified information relating to children deprived of liberty. The UN Global Study, lead by Independent Expert Manfred Nowak, intends to look at the scale of the issue (collecting disaggregated data) … Read More
Vulnerabilities and pathways related to parental imprisonment
The 11th European Forum on the Rights of the Child took place in Brussels on 7-8 November 2017, entitled “Children deprived of liberty and alternatives to detention,” bringing together over 350 participants from UN agencies and bodies, global, European and national organisations and individuals working to protect, defend and promote the implementation of the rights … Read More
Papa Plus: supporting the child-parent relationship in Bulgaria
In the European Union, some 800,000 children are separated from a parent in prison. The pan-European network Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) has been working with the Fédération des Relais Enfants Parents (FREP) for 20 years to support initiatives across Europe that focus on preserving and strengthening bonds between children and their parent in prison, … Read More
How to replicate and implement the Italian Memorandum of Understanding on children with imprisoned parents
In 2014, COPE’s Italian network member Bambinisenzasbarre obtained the signature of a “Memorandum of Understanding”, entitled the “Charter of Children with Imprisoned Parents”. This agreement was signed by the Italian Minister for Justice, the National Ombudsman for Childhood and Adolescence and Bambinisenzasbarre. This document, the first of its kind in Europe, formally recognises the right … Read More
Children of Roma and Traveller Prisoners: A Short Guide (2017)
There is an overrepresentation of Roma and Travellers in prison populations in Europe, though exact numbers are difficult to establish, as some countries in Europe do not provide prison population statistics by “ethnicity” and “race”. There is a general lack of understanding and studies on the situation of Roma and Traveller prisoners across European countries, … Read More
Launch of Volume 5 of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment
Volume 5 of the European Journal of Parental Imprisonment (EJPI) is available online! This volume, entitled Making children count: Improving data collection for children with imprisoned parents, focuses on the importance of data collection and the manner in which data is collected and then used. The language used and ways of collecting data can affect … Read More
EuroPris Family Relations Expert Group: Good Practice Collection
The European Organisation of Prison and Correctional Services (EuroPris) Family Relations Expert Group has drafted a Good Practice Collection in cooperation with Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE). This Collection has come out of two years of fruitful exchange between Prison and Correctional Service representatives from eleven countries across Europe, along with COPE. The Collection covers … Read More
COPE sends a delegation of children affected by a parent’s imprisonment to CATS Global Forum on inclusion
“Reaching for an inclusive world” In addition to the upheaval that often comes with having a parent in prison, children with imprisoned parents can experience sadness, stigma, bullying, exclusion. They can feel as though they deserved what is happening to them: often feeling ashamed and different from other young people. Studies show that public and … Read More
Successful wrap for 2017 “Not my crime, still my sentence” campaign
The 2017 Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) “Not my crime, still my sentence” campaign was very successful! Thanks to the motivation and work of members across the European Union, a variety of events and awareness-raising activities were organised throughout the month of June that featured the voices of children with a parent in prison. Promoting … Read More