The purpose of TCJ is to intervene when a parent is incarcerated by providing services and activities which meet the four most vital needs of children. The program pairs each enrolled child with a trained Social Worker or Caseworker who monitors the child’s health, education, safety, and spiritual growth for the duration of their parent’s incarceration.
The Problem Challenging Children of Prisoners
Thousands of children in Cambodia have lost one or both parents to incarceration and live in poverty, isolation, and in hard-to-reach communities. Without intervention, these children are:
Deprived of necessities and vital social relationships.
At risk of exploitation and abuse.
In danger of becoming victims of slavery, sex-trafficking, gang violence, and other egregious abuses.
Often frightened, alone, and experience social stigma and discrimination by their communities.
Forced to beg for food or work from dawn to dusk to survive
Suffering from trauma and exhibiting destructive behaviors.
Exhibiting lower school performance and regressive behaviors.
Lacking a physical and emotional connection with a parent in prison.
Descending into antisocial behaviors such as crime
Substance abuse, and aggressive behavior.
These vulnerable children are all but invisible unless we know how and where to look for them. For the millions of children in the world whose parents are incarcerated, millions more continue to struggle even after their parents are released.
There are a variety of needs and obstacles PFI and national ministries must overcome to help these children. These children need:
Assurance of safety and protection. With at least one parent in prison, it is a significant challenge for the remaining parent or caregiver to provide care for the children. As a result, these children are often inappropriately supervised and face a high risk of being trafficked into the sex trade, forced into child labor, or drawn into gang life and violence.
Access to basic needs. The incarcerated parent commonly was the sole provider for the child’s family. Losing that source of income, the other parent or caregiver is often unable to earn enough to provide for the family’s basic needs while also caring for the children. This impacts the caregiver’s ability to provide enough food, clothing, health care, and safe shelter. This has a profound effect on the child’s health and wellbeing.
Extra support to overcome social stigma, build confidence, and excel in school. Children of prisoners are rejected and stigmatized by their peers and communities. This has a profound effect on their emotional and psychological well-being. Often, it prevents regular school attendance, which is a well-known predictor of their ability to thrive as an adult.
Connection with supportive communities and the incarcerated parent. For children with incarcerated parents, the feeling of rejection is powerful, often resulting in demotivation and hopelessness. Feeling ostracized and unloved, these children and their families tend to isolate themselves even more from their communities. It can be complicated and costly to visit someone in a distant prison, but family plays a vital role in the long-term health and well-being of a child. Children need their parents, and they suffer if the relationship is ruptured.