A Magical Children's Day at Bělušice Prison: Parenthood Doesn't Sleep Behind Bars

On Friday, 2 May 2026, Bělušice Prison hosted an event called A Magical Children's Day. Five incarcerated fathers were able to spend an afternoon in the spirit of a traditional witches' celebration with their children and extended family. The event continues the successful series of VOLONTÉ Children's Days from last year and opens a new season of activities whose purpose is to preserve the bond between an incarcerated parent and their child.

A Magical Children's Day was a family gathering for incarcerated parents, their children, and other loved ones. The event was attended by 5 inmates, 6 children, and their family members.

The event was a joint effort by VOLONTÉ and Bělušice Prison, drawing on the active involvement of the prison's professional staff. The aim was to support contact between the incarcerated parent, their children, and their wider family — and to create space for shared time in an informal and calm environment that the standard visiting room simply cannot offer.

A Programme in the Spirit of Witches

The afternoon unfolded in the spirit of the traditional Czech witches' celebration. Children and parents made witch's hats together, enjoyed face painting, and grilled sausages over an open fire. The programme was intentionally built around simple, shared activities that support natural interaction between parent and child — and open space for something that is not always easy within the daily routine of a prison: just being together.

A Voice from the Field

What lies behind the numbers was best expressed by one of the participants:

"Thank you for today. It's not realistic for our child to manage a regular three-hour visit at a table, so I don't bring them. And today, after a year, they got to see their father."

Moments like this show why Children's Days in prisons matter. For many children, a standard visit — in an unfamiliar environment, with rules they are not prepared for — is simply too much to handle. Creating an alternative where a parent and child can meet naturally is not a peripheral benefit. In many cases, it is the only realistic way to keep the family bond from disappearing entirely.

Building on VOLONTÉ Children's Days 2025

The Magical Day in Bělušice continues the series of VOLONTÉ Children's Days, which we organised last year in cooperation with the Prison Service of the Czech Republic across several prisons — including Rýnovice, Jiřice, Světlá nad Sázavou, and Kynšperk. Last year's events were part of the VOL Rodinu project; this year's series is being delivered under the new VOL Bez neviditelných obětí (Without Invisible Victims) project, which builds on the experience of previous work and takes it further — with an even stronger focus on the children of incarcerated parents.

What We Have Planned for 2026

Throughout the year, we are preparing further events that support the bond between children and their incarcerated parents from different angles:

• 17 May 2026 – Football Training for Children at the Eden Stadium (Prague), in partnership with SK Slavia Praha. The event is designed for children of incarcerated parents and takes place outside prison, without the incarcerated parent present — the aim is to offer the child a positive sporting experience, strengthen their confidence, and provide a supportive environment.

• 27 June 2026 – Children's Day at Rýnovice Prison, continuing last year's event at the same location.

• We are also planning further family events at prisons throughout the year (including Světlá nad Sázavou). Specific dates will be announced as they are confirmed.

Acknowledgements

Our thanks go to all staff at Bělušice Prison who contributed to the preparation and delivery of the event, and who bring long-term professional commitment and a genuinely human approach to the topic of parenthood in prison. Without their dedication, events of this kind would not be possible.

The event was supported financially through the VOL Bez neviditelných obětí project (reg. no. CZ.03.02.02/00/24_066/0004673), implemented within the Operational Programme Employment Plus and co-financed by the European Social Fund Plus and the state budget of the Czech Republic.