Protected Childhood – European Association for Human Rights

In this project we are supporting selected children of death row inmates in Texas. Our association would like to give these children the chance to grow up sheltered and protected in spite of the surrounding poverty. We want to allow them to participate in school trips, to visit sports clubs and join organized holiday activities or various education programs. At the same time we want to ensure that these children can build and expand a loving relationship to the incarcerated parent. The aim of this project is to show these children a way of life far away from drugs, poverty, crime and violence to build a solid foundation for their future life as a young adults.

Out of respect for the families all data and details will remain anonymous to the public and will only be available for members. Thank you for your understanding.

A Death Row Prisoner about children of prisoners on death row:

“During my first visit on death row, I noticed a little girl crying. She was about 7 to 10 years old, the tears from her face flowed endlessly, something I will never forget. When I asked my visitor why the little girl was crying, she began explaining the girl’s father was about to be executed that day. The duration of my two hour visit the girl continued to cry, her siblings – too young to understand their father was about to die – played in the visitation room.

I think about this girl often, how did she and her two brothers cope with the execution of their father? How will my son cope with the situation when I will be executed, too? Have we become so consumed with the abolition of the death penalty that we forgot that executions are creating more victims: the CHILDREN OF EXECUTED PRISONERS. Have we? Here on Texas death row a day doesn’t go by without a prisoner talking about his child or showing each other pictures. We hope we can make them happy while we are here, and if we are executed we wonder how they will transition to a life without a father.

Along with these other prisoners I hope that you can support this project so that we can let them know they are not forgotten.” Gerald Marshall #999489, Texas death row

How we help (examples)

purchasing Christmas or birthday gifts for the child on behalf of the incarcerated parent
organizing visits between child and the incarcerated parent
supporting the mail correspondence between child and incarcerated parent (example: see photo)
supporting children of inmates in participating extracurricular activities and education

About past and current actions in Blog: