This article was written by Marco Gomes, member of the GWMD team at CASPAE
09 September 2026, Izeda prison (Portugal) — This was a particularly emotional GWMD activity because of the distance between Izeda Prison and Porto, the area where the participating families live. To make their participation possible, CASPAE organised transportation from Porto to Izeda.
For some of the children and young people, this was a very significant reunion. Two young girls had not seen their father in person for around two years, while two other children for approximately one year. For the remaining children and young people, at least three months had passed since their last face-to-face contact.
“I was very anxious and excited to see my daughters. I had only been able to see them through video calls, and today something I had wanted for a very long time finally came true. Our financial situation has made it very difficult for them to come here and visit me.”
— imprisoned father
This made both the arrival and the farewell particularly emotional. During the activity, parents and children were able to play korfball together, cooperate as a team and simply enjoy being together in a context very different from a regular prison visit.
The Portuguese newspaper PÚBLICO also attended the Izeda activity to prepare a feature on the project.
The involvement of the Prison Director and staff was also extremely important, both in preparing the activity and in contacting and supporting the participating families.
“There should be more opportunities like this. Because of the distance and the lack of transport, my daughter sometimes goes for months without seeing her father.” – mother of a child
The GWMD event at Izeda prison highlighted the importance of creating meaningful opportunities for children and parents to maintain and strengthen their relationships during imprisonment, particularly when geographical distance makes regular contact difficult. For families who had gone months or years without face-to-face contact, ‘Game with Mum & Dad’ provided a valuable opportunity to reconnect through play outside the usual prison visit setting. The close collaboration between CASPAE, the prison administration and staff and the participating families was essential in making this possible and demonstrated how a coordinated, child-focused approach can help create more positive and supportive family contact.
This event was part of Game with Mum & Dad, a project coordinated by Children of Prisoners Europe (COPE) across Europe. The Project aims to strengthen, maintain and enhance the bond between children and their imprisoned parents, and to generate systemic, child rights–based change across prison systems.
In Portugal, GWMD is implemented by CASPAE, an NGO working in Portugal to help individuals to value themselves and their welfare and facilitate their inclusion in society. CASPAE carry out, among others, projects devoted to the promotion of the rights of children with imprisoned parents.
