POLAND - TAKING ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 002387 SIPDIS SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE PLEASE PASS TO G/IWI ANDREA BOTTNER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KWMN PREL KPAO PHUM PL SUBJECT: POLAND - TAKING ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REF: STATE 142614 -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (U) In an effort to recognize the recent 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign and the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, Post held a Digital Video Conference (DVC) with U.S. and Polish experts to assess major challenges related to the eradication of domestic violence and to discuss potential solutions. Through meetings with Ministries, NGOs and other agencies engaged in preventing and eliminating such violence, Embassy Warsaw has learned about the prevalence of the problem and the efforts underway to address the issue. -------------- Situation Report and Background -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Domestic violence in Poland is addressed by the July 2005 Act on Domestic Violence; however, most agree that the act is not sufficiently implemented. No governmental body is directly responsible for coordinating tasks related to the elimination of violence against women and there are no joint action plans among various government agencies, law enforcement, and NGOs. Although government initiatives exist to combat domestic violence and violence against women, they fall under more general programs for women or programs to eliminate violence and crime. The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy,s (MOL) Department for Women, Family and Combating Discrimination coordinates efforts with the Council of Europe to combat violence against women, although the issue is not defined as one of the Department's priorities. Ministry of Interior (MOI) statistics on violence are not gender segregated, which makes it difficult to assess the prevalence of the problem. ¶3. (U) The number of reported victims of domestic violence in Poland has risen considerably in the last decade. In 1999, there were 96,955 reported victims compared to 156,788 in ¶2005. The number of police interventions has almost doubled during that same time period from 376,538 interventions to 608,751. The MOL argues that the increase is attributable to well-publicized national campaigns to support victims of violence and demonstrates a greater social awareness of the problem. Thanks to recent media campaigns, educational activities, and institutions and organizations providing assistance to victims of violence, society increasingly realizes that domestic violence is not merely a private issue and should be reported to public law enforcement bodies. Campaigns have also worked to raise awareness of the services that exist for victims and to spread the efficiency of the "Blue Card" system, a police initiative to standardize procedures in cases of domestic violence. Nevertheless, NGOs and Ministries recognize that raising awareness continues to be a significant challenge. Studies show that many women feel they do not receive enough support. The number of unreported cases remains elevated; a recent study conducted by the Warsaw University on gender violence concludeded that one third of Polish women experience violence in their lifetime and more than 800,000 Polish women are victimized annually. There is a great discrepancy between the numbers of women who anonymously admit to having been victims of abuse in surveys and those who report cases of violence to the police. ¶4. (SBU) Assistance programs for victims of violence are limited. The MOJ is currently running a pilot project with 11 institutions that provide comprehensive services to victims of crimes. If successful, the project will be introduced nationwide; however, these centers are not specialized for victims of domestic violence. There is no state obligation to run specialized shelters; those that exist are run by NGOs and churches. In 2004, there were approximately 148 shelters for victims of domestic violence, which typically offer free legal and psychological counseling. Although resources are available, surveys show that only 14% of victims of partner violence turned to an organization for help. Some believe this is because organizations have insufficient resources, and many require waiting lists to obtain assistance. -------------- DVC -------------- ¶5. (U) Based on the input of local contacts who work to combat violence against women, Embassy Warsaw coordinated a DVC on December 13, 2007 entitled: "Combating Violence against Women: Continuing Challenges." Post worked with Washington to engage relevant speakers in discussing best WARSAW 00002387 002 OF 002 practices for advancing the battle against gender violence with the Polish audience. U.S. speakers included Andrea Bottner, Senior Coordinator for International Women's Issues, Department of State; Mary Beth Buchanan, Acting Director of the Office of Violence Against Women, Department of Justice; and Karen Cunningham, Director of Legal Services at the NGO Women Empowered Against Violence (WEAVE). Polish participants represented the diverse groups involved in the combat against domestic violence, including representatives from the MOL, MOJ, the police, NGOs, and academics. The discussion focused on what kind of services should be offered to victims, raising awareness, sources of funding, and the challenges of implementing laws. It also provided a venue for interaction between local NGOs and Ministries. Participants praised the timeliness and utility of the program and expressed interest in further Polish-American cooperation on the issue. ¶6. (U) A representative from the MOJ invited Ms. Bottner to open a MOJ-hosted Conference on Emotional Violence, to be held in northern Poland on February 22, 2008. The Conference will open a week-long awareness raising campaign for victims, support, held annually since 1995. In addition, many Polish specialists were interested in the possibility of an International Visitor Program to the U.S. -------------- Embassy Involvement in the 16-day Campaign -------------- ¶7. (U) Prior to the DVC, PolOff and Pol Intern participated in meetings with the various actors relevant to the issue in Poland. As part of the 16 Days of Activism, PolOffs visited a Crisis Intervention Center in Bialystok to observe first-hand the assistance available to victims of violence, attended conferences on the issue, met with the MOL to assess government efforts, and visited various NGOs including Blue Line, the Women's Rights Center, and La Strada. These visits proved essential in deepening the Embassy's understanding of the specific challenges in Poland, but also in creating contacts to further Polish-American cooperation on the issue. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Through meetings with various actors, PolOffs were able to assess the situation of violence against women in Poland and identify major challenges ahead. Despite the legal framework in place, Poland is having trouble implementing sufficient protections for victims. Government organizations lack coordination on the issue and must further develop programs specifically aimed at fighting violence against women. Insufficient services and a very low conviction rate fail to give women the courage to report incidents of violence. Societal awareness of the problem has risen, but should be further encouraged. The DVC organized by Post between U.S. and Polish specialists proved successful in initiating Polish-American cooperation on the issue. HILLAS