Teen fights for the rights of children whose parents are in prison

Juliann Purea-Desai was around four years old when her father first went to prison.

Purea-Desai is open about the emotional toll of her childhood, which included “camping” in the car with her siblings when they ran out of petrol.

Now almost 19, she is a member of Ngā Rangatira Mō Āpōpō, a youth advisory panel that uses lived experience to advocate for children and families of prisoners.

“I do have memories of Dad always leaving for a really long time and then coming back all of a sudden,” she says.

“When mum told us that our dad had gone to jail, we were like ‘Oh, okay, he’s not going to stay in there for long, right?’ We didn’t know how big of an impact it would have on our lives.”

Last month, Purea-Desai and her fellow youth advisers met with Children’s Minister Karen Chhour to share proposed solutions, including a Bill of Rights for children affected by parental and whānau incarceration.

Juliann Purea-Desai speaks to the Children's Minister, Karen Chhour, outside Parliament. Photo/Supplied

Purea-Desai says many of the issues they uncovered during their research reflect her own story. She hopes her experience can drive change for other “forgotten” children.

“Knowing just how much bullshit and how much pain and how much f*ck ups my mum, Nan, and Aunty had to go through before getting to where they are today, pisses me off.

“Mum had to take five jobs just to support five kids … and she didn’t have any connections to actually help her go through the process of getting her kids to understand what prison is and how it will affect their lives.”

Listen to Juliann Purea-Desai's interview below.

A call for change

Pillars Ka Pou Whakahou, a charity that supports children and families of those in prison, estimates that up to 20,000 children in Aotearoa have a parent behind bars.

This number doesn’t include those with a parent serving a community sentence or home detention.

Currently, there is no legal framework in place that addresses the needs of families during the criminal sentencing process.

The youth advisory group is calling for a Kaiwhatu Kura Whānau, a dedicated family support worker who can help families navigate the court system, develop a child support plan, and connect with appropriate services.

Members of Ngā Rangatira Mō Apōpō on the steps of Parliament with the Children's Commissioner and Children's Minister. Photo/Supplied

Corrina Thompson, a researcher and youth advocate at Pillars, told RNZ that this should begin as soon as a parent enters the justice system.

"Far too often, children are largely invisible from the point of arrest, right through court proceedings, through to prison. Sometimes it's not until the person arrives in prison that the fact that that person is a parent with children is even known.”

Hope for the future

Purea-Desai says the mentorship she has received at Pillars has been vital over the past four years. She successfully graduated from Edgewater College in 2024 and received a scholarship from First Foundation.

Now taking a gap year, she is enrolled in the Auckland Youth Theatre Company’s one-year programme, attending workshops at Unitec and collaborating with Youth Law on a project to help senior high school students understand their rights and the importance of voting.

Up to 20,000 children in Aotearoa have a parent in prison. Photo/Unsplash

Although she is driven to create a better future for others, Purea-Desai acknowledges her journey.

She believes public judgment of children with incarcerated parents is often based on incomplete information.

“I stepped away from the cycle that my family had created,” she says. “Although I’m no longer in the cycle, I feel like I’m very used to it… The fear of stepping back into the cycle is absolutely terrifying.

“If you just understand why they're doing that, why they're going through this, why they're like this, all of a sudden, your world changes and your view becomes 10 times clearer than it already is.”