About the drawings and paintings that appear throughout the site

Each year, an estimated 800,000 children within the European Union (EU - 27) are separated from an incarcerated parent, and sometimes both parents are in prison. Despite this number, there is relatively little awareness about this group of children and their special needs.

Just as each child is unique, so are their drawings - the ones you see here now and those which will be added in the future are from children affected by the imprisonment of a parent or relative, trying to express their feelings, experiences, fears, anger, guilt and joy.

A bit of history

In May 2006 EUROCHIPS' Network organised the first Pan-European conference to focus specifically on the situation and rights of children with an imprisoned parent.

As we have the children's' best interest at heart, the conference offered an excellent opportunity for children to raise their voices and be heard by key figures, including representatives of the European Parliament, the Council of Europe, various Ministries of Education, Health, and Justice, Children's Ombudsman offices and prison and probation services as well as magistrates, NGO representatives, and childhood professionals.

A targeted art competition/exhibition entitled "Prison and Families" was also organised, which, like our conference, was the first such event to be held in Europe. We received 150 entries from all over Europe.