News

Krakow, Poland 22-23 September ‘The purpose of emphasising the duty of the sentencing court to acknowledge the interests of the children […] is not to permit errant parents unreasonably to avoid appropriate punishment. Rather, it is to protect the innocent children as much as is reasonably possible in the circumstances from avoidable harm’. — Justice … Read more

As part of the Annual Network Meeting held in June 2022 in Portugal, COPE hosted a workshop entitled ‘Training for Transitions’ that revolved around establishing ‘child checks’ and reducing violence for children during moments of key transition: the arrest, sentencing processes and pre-trial detention. Specifically, the establishment of policies and protocols that aim to promote … Read more

Confiar’s successful conference entitled “My parents have been arrested, what now? Public Policies for the future”, held in Cascais, Portugal, on Thursday 2 June, marked a shift in awareness in Portugal of the rights of children impacted by parental imprisonment within that context.

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 … Read more

The EU’s adoption of the Strategy on the Rights of the Child, on 24 March 2021 was celebrated as an indispensable milestone for Europe by “putting children and their best interests at the heart of EU policies, through its internal and external actions.” In its reaction to the launch of the Strategy, a group of … Read more

Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) is alarmed by the fate of all children affected by the war in Ukraine, in particular those separated from their parents because of it.

COPE hosted a workshop on 17 November as part of the online 2021 World Congress on Justice with Children (15 to 20 November). COPE’s workshop, moderated by Annette Lyth, Chief of Office UN Special Representative of the Secretary General on Violence against children, included speakers Viviane Schekter, of Relais Enfants Parents Romands, Switzerland; member of … Read more