Children and imprisoned parents playing GWMD (© Bambinisenzasbarre)
On the afternoon of October 30, another ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ event took place at the Palermo Pagliarelli “Antonio Lorusso” prison in Italy. For this special gathering, children and their imprisoned fathers met on the field of the large Sicilian penitentiary around 3 p.m. After putting on their t-shirts—yellow for the children and blue for the parents (each one bearing the phrase ‘Human rights begin with children’s rights’ on the front)—they began a very special form of child-parent bonding through football.
This is the second GWMD event held at the Palermo prison in 2024, organised by COPE member Bambinisenzasbarre in collaboration with the Department of Penitentiary Administration (DAP). The first game was held on October 1, and afterward, Sonia[1], a pedagogical-legal official working in the prison, heard a child say to his father as he was leaving the field:
“Dad, when can we do this again?”
Sonia shared the child’s words with the prison director and commander, and due to the many requests from the imprisoned parents to participate in ‘Game with Mum & Dad’, they agreed to arrange a second event.
Children and imprisoned parents on the playing field (© Bambinisenzasbarre)
The sunny day and pleasant temperature (this is in a very southern region of Italy, after all) created the perfect setting for children and their parents’ enthusiasm and commitment as they chased the ball on the synthetic ground of the football field, located near the prison’s large green area. Here, children, fathers and other family members gathered under the shade of palm trees to enjoy a snack of sweets and drinks. This was the moment when the conversation between children and their imprisoned parents became even more intense and intimate.
Around 5:30 p.m., amid hugs, parting words and a few tears, children said goodbye to their fathers, promising to meet again for the next ‘Game with Mum & Dad’.
“The separation this time,’ said Sonia, ‘was more peaceful than in early October. The children left feeling a bit calmer and bid their fathers farewell, looking forward to the next game. It was an emotionally challenging day for both adults and children, but everyone seemed truly happy about this extraordinary conversation they had together. It was undoubtedly a valuable moment that benefited everyone—children, imprisoned parents and even those of us working in the prison.”
The GWMD initiative, created in 2015 by Bambinisenzasbarre, is increasingly proving to be a unique tool used within prison walls to strengthen, consolidate and maintain the bond between children and their imprisoned parents. These are the primary results and goals of the project.
At the European level, GWMD is organised by Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE), based on the model created and refined by Bambinisenzasbarre, which allows COPE network members to organise the initiative in European prisons, as is happening this year.
[1] All names in this article are pseudonyms to protect individuals’ identities.
