In September, ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ resumed in Italy, allowing children and parents in prison to compete for the ball. The first 60 games organised by COPE member Bambinisenzasbarre, were played between June and July in Italian prisons in various regions, including Tuscany, Lombardy, Apulia and Sicily.
These games are part of the European campaign ‘Game with Mum & Dad’, coordinated by Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE). A total of 35 games are scheduled for the autumn phase, with some already played in September and more continuing through October.
‘Game with Mum & Dad’, held in Italy since 2015, was devised and set up as a model by Bambinisenzasbarre, who for 20 years has been pursuing the primary objective of ‘maintaining the bond between child and imprisoned parent’ (a right enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child), through various means: supporting children when they enter the prison to visit their parent. This is a key moment for sustaining the child-parent relationship, whether by drawing together, recounting the school week or simply playing a football game or another sport in each other’s company.
‘Game with Mum & Dad’ is an opportunity to stimulate and strengthen the bond between imprisoned parents and their children. It is a much-awaited moment of normality and closeness which opens prison doors to prisoners’ relatives, overcoming the barriers created by imprisonment. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the ‘Charter of the Rights of Children of Imprisoned Parents’, signed in Rome on 21 March 2014 by the Minister of Justice, the Ombudsman of Childhood and Adolescence and Lia Sacerdote, President of Bambinisenzasbarre.
‘Game with Mum & Dad’, which in Italy is organised in collaboration with the Department of Penitentiary Administration (Dap), offers the opportunity to share powerful moments of family connection; something that is ordinary for all other children but is exceptional for these children and their families, and lingers long in their memory.
To make sure you don’t miss any of the action, be sure to check the calendar for the full schedule.
