Compassionate sentencing – a judge’s perspective from Romania
October 10, 2023
The following text was spoken by Daniel Mirauta, judge of a Court of Appeals in Romania, at COPE’s Annual Network Meeting in Limerick, June 2023. My name is Daniel Mirauta. I am a judge in Romania, in a Court of Appeals. I judge mainly criminal appeals and my judgments are enforceable and final, so they
Strip-searching of children visiting a parent in prison banned in Estonia
October 4, 2023
Thanks to the ongoing advocacy of Estonia’s Chancellor of Justice (CoJ), the rights of children with an imprisoned parent are gaining increased visibility in Estonia, reflected by important shifts in practice. Notably, strip-searching of children visiting prison is now banned in all three prisons in Estonia. The CoJ, the independent supervisor of basic principles of the Constitution
Game with Mum & Dad – European Football campaign launched for children with a parent in prison
June 6, 2023
Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) is launching Game with Mum & Dad, a Europe-wide event where children with a parent in prison get to play a game of football with a father, mother or caregiver behind prison walls. The campaign is founded on the COPE network’s shared values of child safeguarding, child participation, non-discrimination and
Ruling by European Court of Human Rights safeguards the right of a child to visit imprisoned parent
March 23, 2023
COPE welcomes the European Court of Human Rights ruling (21 March 2023) safeguarding the right of a child to visit his or her parent in detention. The court upheld COPE’s intervention in the Deltuva v. Lithuania case, stating that all decisions concerning children should take their best interests as a prior consideration and that children
Call for strengthened protection and care systems to support children and young people
February 24, 2023
COPE stands alongside 14 other NGOs to call on the international community to protect upon all children impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. A year has passed since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, which has affected and displaced millions of children. Despite the international community’s repeated calls for the withdrawal of Russian troops
The treatment of mothers in prison and their children – the situation in Europe and beyond
February 20, 2023
Sara Tirrito’s article, Eva Kaili and the treatment of female prisoners with children. How it works in Europe: from the shortcomings of Belgium to the excellence of Germany, was published on “il Fatto Quotidiano” 15 February 2023. The full article (in Italian) can be found here. Eva Kaili and the treatment of female prisoners with
European Commission Recommendation related to detention conditions
December 15, 2022
On 8 December 2022, the European Commission adopted a Recommendation concerning the procedural rights of suspects and accused persons subject to pre-trial detention and on material detention conditions. The Recommendation expands on a number of standards established in existing legally and non-legally binding instruments on the national, Union and international level including Council of Europe
COPE end-of-year crowdfunding campaign
November 29, 2022
This December, COPE is taking the opportunity to launch a crowdfunding campaign. What do donations to COPE go towards? COPE’s overall mission is to safeguard the social, political and judicial inclusion of children with an imprisoned parent, while fostering the pursuit and exchange of knowledge which enhances good practices, and contributes to a better understanding
Greek Deputy Ombudswoman for Children’s Rights
November 3, 2022
According to Appendix 1 of the Council of Europe CM/Rec(2018)5, nearly 17,000 children in Greece are separated from a parent in prison (this figure is an extrapolation). Ms. Theoni Koufonikolakou, the Deputy Ombudswoman for Children’s Rights, Greece, calls for the implementation of the Council of Europe CM/Rec(2018)5 and expresses her commitment to protecting the rights and
Questionnaire for caregivers of children with a parent in conflict with the law
October 31, 2022
Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) recognises the uniquely important – and challenging – role played by those who care for children when their parent is in prison. Whilst each family’s situation is different, many caregivers may face similar questions: what should I tell the children? How should I speak to the school? How do I respond to
