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| Photo: Tedx Río de La Plata |
The documentary Desinvisibilizar explores the reality of approximately 140,000 children and adolescents whose parents are deprived of liberty in Argentina. The documentary examines their lives, expectations, fears and desires while highlighting the need for supportive public policies.
Another focal point of the meeting, was the presentation of Andrea Casamento, President of ACIFAD, at TEDx Rio de la Plata. The event took place in Buenos Aires, last October and was attended by around 20,000 people. It was a excellent opportunity for Ms. Casamento to be able to explain the effects of prison on the lives of families as a whole. Her presentation already has almost 6,000 views on YouTube. Beyond this, ACIFAD and CWS have also made several specific actions related to the subject.
At the community level, a pilot project was created in an educational center in the Ciudad Oculta (Villa 15 - Buenos Aires), supported by the Navarro Viola Foundation and the platform NNAPEs. Teachers were trained and different awareness actions were carried out with people in the community. As a result, many families began to approach the Center to ask for advice and support about the issue while teachers began to respond.
After the documentary Desinvisibilizar was screened, at the University Center of the Penitentiary Complex in the City of Buenos Aires (Devoto), a group of parents deprived of liberty requested creating a series of activities and workshops on fatherhood . The workshop was formed and children were able to share a special day of games and activities with their parents and families.
CWS and ACIFAD coordinated the annual meeting of family victims of institutional violence organized by the Provincial Commission for Memory (CPM). It empowered the young people that participated in the event.
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| Photo: Julia Lurag |
The meeting brought together about 500 people from 18 provinces in Argentina, who shared their experiences and proposals against violence exerted by security agencies, the prison service and justice systems.
During the event, a group of children and young people participated in various sports and cultural activities. There was also a time for reflection as well as time to share the challenges they face for having a family member deprived of freedom. One of the things that became clear, is that there are no safe and reliable spaces where they can talk about this.The group of children who have similar experiences, "Chapa" is the only place where they can talk, because "they are calm and all in the same situation".
The goal of the meetings in Argentina, is to continue the conversation during 2018 while spreading awareness and strengthening initiatives about the issue.
