Children with Incarcerated Parents
When someone goes to prison, it can often mean a sentence for their whole family. This is especially true when the incarcerated person is a parent.
More than two million children across Latin America and the Caribbean have an incarcerated parent. These children often face stigma, discrimination and/or trauma. Many have watched police arrest their parent. They may have to move in with extended family to make ends meet without their parent's income. Their families often struggle financially.
No matter what their parents have done, these children are innocent. And they are often in need of special care and attention.
That's why CWS helped create Plataforma NNAPES. It's a regional coalition of organizations who focus on advocating for and protecting the rights of these children and their families. They envision a world where all children with incarcerated parents thrive and have their rights realized.
Alongside our partners, we work to raise the visibility of this issue. Together, we can shine a light on these invisible children.
Childhood That Matters
Our latest region-wide report, Childhood That Matters, focuses on the harmful impact of drug policies on children with incarcerated parents. It concludes that children with incarcerated parents are often exposed to violence and trauma, including watching their parent get arrested. Drug policies often fail to take their well-being into account. They usually face stigma in society, and can end up being bullied, discriminated against or isolated. Read more...Latest Updates
When Pipe Dreams Start Becoming Reality
“One of the aspirations of Plataforma NNAPES [and CWS]…is that children can be protagonists and speak with their own voice about their reality and can articulate their demands and their vision about this issue.” Martín Coria, CWS Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, said this in a 2016 interview that went on to be part of a documentary …
A Simple Piece of Wood
A simple piece of wood. Objectively, that’s what you see in this photo. And for most people, it’s just that. But for our colleagues at the Civil Association of Relatives of Detainees of Argentina—known as ACIFAD for its acronym in Spanish— and for us, it’s a lot more than that. It’s the result of years of struggle, countless meetings, setbacks …
On International Day of the Girl, Wisdom from a Role Model
Felicia is a longtime friend of CWS from the Dominican Republic. CWS supports regional advocacy and support of children whose parents are incarcerated. Felicia participated in programs through our partner in the Dominican Republic, Caminante Proyecto Educativo. She has shared her own experience as the child of an incarcerated parent with international audiences and has helped bring attention to an …