Contributed by: Agnieszka Mrozik, Poland National VAW Monitor
On 30 September 2005, the Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Status of Women and Men organized a news conference that ended "To Overcome Violence" campaign (started on July 18, 2005). The conference was joined with a meeting summing up the social campaign. There were female Voivodship Plenipotentiaries for Equal Status of Women and Men, representatives of National Police Headquarters and Provincial Police Headquarters, and the representatives of NGOs who participated in the meeting chaired by Minister Magdalena Sroda.
During the meeting the Plenipotentiary took a definite stand on counteracting domestic violence and presented the statistical data collected while she held her office. Then the data was widely discussed by the assembled company. The voivodship Plenipotentiaries reported on the campaigns organized at the provincial level, pointing out the importance of their co-operation with the police, the Catholic Church and the local media. Then the police report, which included the statistics, procedures and the descriptions of problems the police have to face while trying to cope with domestic violence in the regions, was presented. All presentations resulted in a discussion which gave rise to recommendations on future efforts to prevent domestic violence.
Discussing the problem of domestic violence, the assembled company stressed the necessity of organized inter-institutional cooperation and the need for improvement of re-socialisation procedures and the apparatus of control of perpetrators. There was also the issue of specialist psychological training for police officers reacting on domestic violence complaints that was raised. Good practices of police intervention were presented. The representatives of NGOs pointed out that there is a connection between violence, alcohol abuse, and mental illness. At the same time they asked for examining the influence of current legislation on people fighting against violence.
The issues raised at the meeting, as well as the proposals and remarks it evoked are to serve as the basis for recommendations to the present government on how to counteract domestic violence.
Compiled from: Summing Up the "Overcome Violence" Campaign, Government Plenipotentiary for Equal Status of Women and Men (last accessed 4 February 2006)