POPS (Partners of Prisoners and Families Support Group) was founded by a group of courageous women, who were no longer prepared to accept the status quo. Treated as ‘guilty by association’ these women took it upon themselves to speak up for the rights of partners and family members, choosing to challenge the treatment they received at the hands of the prison service and to ultimately catalyse a whole new approach to prisoners’ families.
From a kitchen table collective, to a charity with national influence, POPS has always championed the voice of women. International Women’s Day is a significant day for us on which we can pause and reflect on the achievements of our founders, who dared to take on the system, and celebrate the contribution of the women who work for, and are supported by, us. International Women’s Day also provides us with a platform to shine light on gender inequalities within the system, sentencing disparities, and the impact of imprisonment on families, with an estimated 17,000 children separated from their mothers by imprisonment every year.
#Choosetochallenge is in POPS’ DNA and we will be encouraging our teams to continue this legacy as part of International Women’s Day 2021.
We spoke to women from our team about what #choosetochallenge means to them. Visit our playlist to hear what they had to say!
Our teams have also put together a pack of resources and reflections to mark IWD 2021. Download the short booklet here.
POPS works with women across our sites. For more information on POPS’ specific work with women visit Farida Women’s Centre.
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