Children of men who are imprisoned in the penitentiary (PI) Veenhuizen can spend more time with their fathers during the autumn holidays.
During this so-called autumn camp, people work together during the day, play sports and have lunch. In the evenings, the children stay in holiday homes in the area, supervised by volunteers from the organizing Stichting Exodus Nederland.
The aim is to allow the children to be ‘just children’ and to support the fathers in their role as parents. “During such a week we see different emotions in the children and fathers: anger, powerlessness, sadness, but above all a lot of joy, happiness and emotion from being together again”, says project leader Marieke van Zwam of Exodus.
“Fathers are stepping back into their father role and (unconsciously) applying all kinds of parenting techniques: cooperation, consultation, motivation, comfort, stimulation, addressing and correction.”
In the Netherlands, approximately 25,000 children have a parent in captivity.
Except in Veenhuizen, Exodus – in collaboration with the Custodial Institutions Service – is holding autumn camps in the PIs in Vught and Nieuwegein.