This submission highlights the effects of imprisonment of a parent on mental health of children. It was submitted jointly by Friends World Committee for Consultation (Quakers) and the International Catholic Child Bureau (BICE) to the 22nd session of the Human Rights Council.
Geneva's newsletter from January to March 2013. Featured stories:
Geneva Reporter Jan-March 2013.pdf 689.69 KB This submission welcomes the UN Secretary General’s report on the death penalty, in which the children of sentenced persons are recognized. It updates states about recent QUNO efforts to highlight the effects of parental execution or sentencing on children.
See also:
The first time a UN body considered the question children with parents in prison was in September 2011, in a Committee on the Rights of the Child day of general discussion on the topic. This paper details the issues, good practice and recommendations relating to children of prisoners that emerged from that day of general discussion.
See also the related Briefing Paper and Exhibition.
In this submission to 19th session of the Human Rights Council, QUNO highlights the risks to physical and mental well-being faced by children of incarcerated parents. It recalls general principles to be kept in mind when considering and/or interacting with these children. Finally, it highlights potential examples of good practice.
See also the written statement on the same subject issued the previous year (2011).
The Bangkok Rules supplement a set of international standards on the treatment of prisoners – The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners and the UN Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (‘Tokyo Rules’). The Bangkok Rules address the needs and characteristics of women in the criminal justice system. QUNO and Penal Reform International participated in the development of the Bangkok Rules, and issued this Briefing to encourage their dissemination and implementation.
ENGLISH_Briefing on Bangkok Rules.pdf 153.21 KB ESPAÑOL_Briefing on Bangkok Rules.pdf 142.48 KB FRANÇAIS_Briefing on Bangkok Rules.pdf 130.14 KB Pусский_Briefing on Bangkok Rules.pdf 162.72 KB 汉语/漢語_Briefing on Bangkok Rules 101.49 KB In this statement to the 16th session of the Human Rights Council, Quakers welcome the UN General Assembly’s adoption of the Bangkok Rules, calling on States to ensure they are appropriately disseminated. The statement also welcomes the Committee on the Rights of the Child having decided to dedicate the 2011 Day of General Discussion to the theme of “children of incarcerated parents.”
See also the written statement on the same subject issued a year later.
QUNO Geneva's newsletter for November 2010 to January 2011. Featured stories:
Geneva Reporter, Nov 2010 - Jan 2011 833.77 KB Several international and national NGOs, together with experts, requested that the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) consider dedicating its 2011 Day of General Discussion to the issue of Children of Imprisoned Parents. This document is the actual text of their proposal to the CRC. It includes a statement of the problem of children of imprisoned parents, and suggestions on what the content of the Day of General Discussion could include.
This resource comprises of a presentation given at a side-event of the 14th Session of the Human Rights Council in June 2010.
“In early 2010, Riksbryggan, a Swedish organization working with children of imprisoned parents, asked a group of children what would need to change to make it easier for them to have a parent in prison. [This presentation is made up of] the children’s wishes and drawings.”
10 Wishes.pdf 277.41 KB In this oral statement delivered at the 14th session of the Human Rights Council, Quakers welcome the progress made in developing new draft UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-Custodial Measures for Women Offenders, noting that they did addressed only a limited aspect of the problem. The submission highlights QUNO’s draft Framework for Decision-Making in Relation to Children of Offenders, requesting comments. It also welcomes proposed EU research on the issue of children in prison, to fill critical gaps in knowledge.
See also: Children of (Alleged) Offenders: Revised Draft Framework for Decision-Making.
In this submission to the 14th session of the Human Rights Council, Quakers highlight the problem of children of incarcerated parents, and some of the progress made on the issue in the international arena. It also highlights QUNO’s range of research, studies and publications on the issue. The submission includes specific recommendations for the UN Human Rights Council in moving the issue forward.
QUNO Geneva's newsletter for November to January 2010. Featured stories:
QUNO Geneva's newsletter for February to April 2009. Featured stories:
Geneva Reporter, Feb 2009 - April 2009 875.86 KB “Drawing together findings from academics, professionals and the United Nations, this paper examines the ways in which women are disproportionately affected by pre- trial detention and how this impacts on their children. It considers the reasons for the over-use of pre-trial detention, issues around over-long periods of detention and the problems of inappropriate conditions of detention for pre-trial detainees. It also provides practical suggestions for improvements as well as a range of alternatives to pre-trial detention.”
In the course of QUNOs work on the situation of women in prison, it became clear that imprisonment of women had an enormous impact upon children. This publication concerns babies and young children who stay in prison with their mothers. There are no obvious right or wrong answers to several of the dilemmas raised: neither separating babies and young children from their mother nor imprisoning them with their mother is desirable. This research tries to outline what the rights of the child in such a situation are, and how they can best be protected. Some examples of strategies and good practices have been included. Also included are guidelines and suggestions for drafting legislation, regulations, policies and programmes regarding babies and small children residing in prisons.
This is QUNO's initial publication on the question of women in prison, and their children. It is detailed, and as a preliminary research paper, it deals with a wide range of issues. It first provides an overview of and statistics concerning women in prison as a whole. It then looks at different groups of women – indigenous women, foreign nationals, transgender prisoners - and how they are affected by imprisonment. The paper then looks at mothers in prison and their children – whether imprisoned with or separated from their mothers. Perspectives on healthcare for women in prison are offered. Finally, there is a section on abuse, inappropriate procedures and torture that women in prison may face.
