Poland: Outcome of complaints filed with the Office of Victims' Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior and Administration by victims of domestic violence; court decisions rendered in domestic violence cases (August 2003 - August 2004)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 18 August 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | POL42817.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Poland: Outcome of complaints filed with the Office of Victims' Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior and Administration by victims of domestic violence; court decisions rendered in domestic violence cases (August 2003 - August 2004), 18 August 2004, POL42817.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/42df6163b.html [accessed 4 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Information on the outcome of complaints filed with the Office of Victims' Spokesman of the Ministry of Interior and Administration by victims of domestic violence could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
Regarding court decisions rendered in domestic violence cases, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003 reported that in Poland,
[s]entences for abuse of family members range from 3 months to 5 years, or from 2 to 10 years if the victim attempts suicide as a result of the abuse. Most convictions resulted in suspended sentences. ...According to [non-governmental organizations] NGOs, courts often treated domestic violence as a minor crime, pronouncing lenient verdicts or dismissing cases (25 Feb. 2004, Sec. 4).
Additional information on court decisions in domestic violence cases could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Reference
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2003. 25 February 2004. United States Department of State. Washington, D.C.
Additional Sources Consulted
The Women's Rights Center, in Warsaw, did not respond to a letter requesting information.
Internet sites, including: The Baltic Gender Center (Gdansk, Poland), BBC, Dialog/WNC, EUROPA, European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI), Freedom in the World 2003, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Jurist Legal Intelligence, KARAT Coalition on Gender Equality (Warsaw), Ministry of Interior and Administration, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OUNHCHR), OSKA – The National Women's Information Center (Warsaw), Polska (Government of Poland), Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Supreme Court of the Republic of Poland, Stop Violence Against Women (stopVAW), United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (UNDAW), Warsaw Voice, Women's Rights Center (Warsaw).
