The International Network of Penitentiary Education in the Countries of Eastern Partnership and Central Asia (PEN) was created in May 2017 and officially began functioning on July 18, 2017. It consolidated the experiences and cooperation of DVV International and partners in Armenia, Eastern Partnership Countries (Belarus, Ukraine and Moldova) as well as Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan in support of broadening access to education for prison inmates.
The network is a voluntary association of organizations and individuals that aims to advance the right to education in penitentiary and post-penitentiary facilities and promote education as an effective means of reintegrating (ex-)prisoners/ inmates into society. The founders of the network are 13 organizations including 12 local non-governmental and state organizations and as well as DVV International) represented by branch offices in 7 countries (Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine).
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Brief overview of the project
The aim of the project is to expand professional exchange and international cooperation between DVV International country offices, German prison education authorities and local partners in Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
The project contributes to the development of the International Network for Prison Education in the countries of Eastern Partnership Region and Central Asia in Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine and promotes the human rights to education in prisons. As a result, PEN-Network promotes the right to education for (ex-)prisoners in Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine.
The project activities aim to increase the number of NGOs working in prison, strengthen their capacity to work with prisoners and ex-prisoners and organize innovative educational programmes for them. Another objective is to strengthen the interaction of civil society actors with the media and journalists in order to mainstream the rights of prisoners in the media and society.
Direct target groups of the project:
Indirect target groups: citizens of the participating countries (who will be informed about the topic of the project); (ex)prisoners in the target countries whose rights are discussed and promoted in the public debate.
Country of the project implementation: Armenia, Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine.
Period: September 2019 - December 2020
Main activities:
The project is implemented in cooperation with DVV International. With the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.
The main objective is to enhance the capacity of civil society organizations in Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine in planning and carrying out awareness-raising campaigns which promote the rights of prisoners as well as their human dignity, right to education and personal development and to strengthen the internal planning and management process of the “International Network of Penitentiary Education in the countries of the Eastern Partnership and Central Asia” (International network).
Project duration: May – December 2018
The participants are the organizations members of the International network from Armenia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine, their partners in the sphere of culture and human rights, representatives of civil society, state authorities and institutions and the media as well as prisoners and ex-prisoners from different countries.
Key activities:
The project is implemented in cooperation with DVV International. With the financial support of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany.