Violence against women is still not considered a serious problem

2008-12-18T18:21:32Z

According to police statistics, in Poland in 2007 there were

1827 of rapes, 84,2 % of cases were sentenced. NGOs estimated that the actual number of rapes was 10 times higher than reported
130.682 victims of domestic violence, compared to 157.854 in 2006.
81.403 incidents of domestic violence cases directed against women
262 killings committed by family members against each other at home, 74% of these crimes committed by men

The equivalent of ca. 3.000 Euro was assigned to victims of crimes committed with violence which result in death, injury of body organs or health disorders as compensation in 2004

12.000.000 PLN, about 3.500.000 Euro were spent in 2007 to implement a National Programme against Domestic Violence

Service provision

In Poland, there are 33 state run shelters (offering refuge of up to 3 months) and 148 hostels and shelters run by the Catholic Church and NGOs including 15 shelters for pregnant women and women with small children.

Poland lacks places where women can seek refuge or assistance. Access to legal and psychological assistance is very limited and the number of shelters for battered women is far too low to meet the needs. In some regions of Poland, there are no shelters at all. Often, neither the shelters nor the crisis centers are devoted exclusively to battered women and victims of domestic violence.

In 2005 women's NGOs prepared the Alternative Report Beijing +10 on implementation of the National Action Plan in Poland.

The main conclusions of the report (in the field of violence against women) were: 1. Violence against women is still not considered a serious problem. The government lacks a comprehensive approach, there are no consistent policies, nor is there sufficient action. The general approach is that domestic violence is related to alcoholism and is gender neutral.

2. The government did not conduct any information campaigns on violence against women.

3. The government did not carry out its obligations concerning social education on violence against women (such as publishing booklets, organizing workshops, educating women how to protect themselves against violence).

Legal situation

On November 21st, 2005, an Act providing for punishment of domestic violence under family related offences was enacted, which states that victims of domestic violence have to be supported through medical, psychological, legal, and counseling interventions. The act states that local governments and county administrations are responsible for organising crisis intervention and support centers for victims, though practice is yet to be developed and evaluated. The law allows the police to take positive action at the site of a domestic violence incident, i.e. to exclude the perpetrator of violence from the home.

The law prohibits sexual harassment under gender discrimination provisions of the Labor Code and the Criminal Code. Under the criminal code persons convicted of sexual harassment involving sex may be sentenced to up to three years in prison. The Labor Code defines sexual harassment as a form of discrimination in the workplace as behavior that violates the dignity of an employee and includes physical, verbal, and non-verbal acts.

Prostitution is legal, but pimping is not. Experts estimated that 30.000 to 35.000 women are in prostitution, many of them employed in massage parlors and escort services that functioned as brothels.

Rape, including spousal rape, is illegal and punishable by up to 12 years in prison. However, women are often unwilling to report rape because of the associated social stigma.

Several provisions of the criminal code specifically address trafficking and provide for prison sentences ranging from three to 15 years for sexual and nonsexual exploitation of persons. Poland is a source, transit point, and destination for trafficked persons, primarily women and girls. Internal trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation also occurs.

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Violence against women is still not considered a serious problem

Service provision

Legal situation