June 13, 2025
SINGAPORE – Watching his teenage daughter and wife recall fond memories of their time together on video brought tears to Aziz’s (not his real name) eyes.
“I felt sad and really happy at the same time,” said the 36-year-old father who is serving detention for drug consumption at Selarang Park Complex in Upper Changi Road North.
On June 12, Aziz and nine other incarcerated fathers were able to celebrate Father’s Day because of a surprise planned by the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) and Centre for Fathering.
The 11th dad was unable to be at the event as he was attending a rehabilitation programme.
In the lead up to the surprise, the 11 inmates’ 25 children recorded video messages expressing their longing and support for their fathers. They also wrote Father’s Day cards to accompany the messages.
During the session, a video compilation was shown to the inmates, many of whom were moved to tears upon seeing and hearing their children on screen.
The inmates were then guided to reflect on and share their emotions in the group before writing letters to their children.
“All these negative thoughts in me made me feel like a hopeless father. But they told me that I’m a great role model,” said Aziz, who has four children, aged three to 16. His wife is a pre-school teacher.
The event took place within Institution S1 at the Selarang Park Complex, which houses about 500 male first- and second-time drug abusers. It aims to help incarcerated fathers rebuild and sustain family ties by reaffirming their vital role as fathers, despite being behind bars.
“What we wanted to do is (close) the gap caused by incarceration and create opportunities for messages of love, care and concern to flow between both parties,” said Superintendent Justin Paul Vikneswaran, who heads the Community Partnership and Family Policy Branch under the Rehabilitation and Reintegration Division of SPS.
SPS has been working with non-profit organisation Centre for Fathering to offer programmes for incarcerated fathers. Among these is the ICAN Fathering Workshop, a six-hour programme, focused on raising awareness of the vital role fathers play in their children’s lives.
The 10 fathers who attended the June 12 event were selected from those who joined the ICAN Fathering Workshop.
The event was made possible with the support of Mr Bramsha Osman, 45, chairman of the Centre for Fathering’s Volunteer Prison Committee.
Aziz (not his real name) opening his Father’s Day cards. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
Despite working full-time as an engineer at the national water agency PUB, Mr Bramsha visited inmates’ families and encouraged them to take part in the event.
“I’m a father of five, and all fathers go through the same struggle. So I understand from (the prisoners’) point of view that they feel, being inside prison, there is no connection they can build (with their children).”
“I don’t mind taking leave (to help out at events) because I know that this will impact the inmates and make them better fathers,” said Mr Bramsha, who had previously turned down a role as a prison counsellor because he wanted to maintain contact with the fathers after their release.
“I believe the first six months to a year (after their release) are very crucial. This is the part where they see the real world, and they will definitely go through some struggles,” he said. “They need someone to give them hope… and I want to be the comfortable person they can rely on during this phase.”
Another father who was moved by the video messages from his children was Aarav (not his real name), who is serving detention for drug abuse.
Aarav (not his real name) was moved by the video messages from his children. PHOTO: THE STRAITS TIMES
“I felt very, very sad,” said the 45-year-old father of two, referring to how his incarceration has separated him from his children. “As a single father, it’s not easy having that on your mind. I really miss my kids and their hugs.”
“Even though I’m in prison, as a father, I’m putting in a lot of effort, no matter what, to send them letters and give them advice and also give them some positive thoughts,” Aarav added.