The Children Outside Prison Project which is implemented by the Youth Re-autonomy Foundation of Turkey in collaboration with Türkiye Korunmaya Muhtaç Çocuklar Vakfı and Children of Prisoners Europe from France aims to eliminate stigmatization and discrimination against children of prisoners in formal education. In this regard, efforts are being made to raise public awareness.

Within the scope of the Children Outside Prison Project, 100 classroom teachers and 25 school counselors working in Kucukcekmece District of Istanbul were trained about the needs of the children whose parents are in prison, the loss of rights, labeling, stigmatization and discrimination they experience in their education life.

The trainings provided by the Teachers’ Academy Foundation (ÖRAV) were conducted using interactive and experiential learning methods in twenty-five people workshops.

The fact that most of the teachers who attended the trainings in November had students whose parents were in prison, significantly increased the effect of the activity. During the training, the basic issues like the problems that children face after their parents are put in prison, their emotional and physical needs, how the child’s relationship with their parents could be supported, and how the teacher could help the child.

Trainings in prisons

A total of 100 mothers from the Women Closed Prison Institutions in Istanbul and Gebze and a total of 50 fathers and about 20 prison officers from Maltepe No.2 Type Male Closed Prison are trained. Seminars are organized on how prisoners can strengthen their relationships with their children while they are in prison, how they can understand the needs of their children outside and how to provide parenting inside.

Study visits

Within the scope of the project, civil society organisations working with children whose parents are in prison and four prisons were visited in Brussels, Paris and Milan. Areas created for the children of prisoners, the policies created, and the improvement of the conditions of the children were observed and opinions were exchanged.