As you probably know, on March 8 it’s the International Women’s Day. This year it’s also a day of an International Protest against the restriction of women’s rights. There are demonstrations across the country in dozens of cities and towns. Women and girls living in Poland are encouraged to take part in the protest by skipping work or classes in order to show their indignation at the planned changes in the Polish law.
Polish women’s problems have escalated starting from October 2015 when the Law and Justice Party took over the Polish Government. It’s the very first time after the change of the system in Poland in 1989 that one party has an absolute majority in the parliament. In the months following their election the party has started to introduce profound and controversial changes concerning many fields of the public sphere. Some of those changes affected women’s rights as well. In September 2016 there appeared in the parliament a civil society project (which was strongly supported by the Polish catholic church and many prominent politicians of the ruling party) almost completely criminalizing termination of pregnancies. Had the law been passed, victims of rape, incest and pedophilia would be forced to bear their assaulters’ children. That was the time Polish women felt compelled to say enough. October 3 2016 was the day of the first Black Protest. Hundreds of thousands of Polish women went out to the streets in Polish and foreign cities. This made the Law and Justice Government back off, but not for long. The abortion issue returns from time to time, and it’s possible that the law will be passed as soon as an opportunity arises.
However, the abortion law is not the only problem. The Minister of Health is going to change regulations on the availability of emergency contraception (it will be possible to buy it only with a prescription from a doctor), and the Minister of Justice plans on cancelling (!) The Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Moreover, the Minister of Education – without any public consultations – has decided to abolish secondary schools, which means that thousands of teachers will lose their jobs in the following years. Hence, although the main postulates of the protesters are connected with women’s rights, for many it is an occasion to object the government’s decisions.
If you’d like to, you can participate in the Black Protest in Opole as well. It’s going to start at 4 p.m. on the Liberty Square (Plan Wolności; in front of the large “woman on a bull” statue). At 5 p.m. the protesters will march through Opole.
Regardless of whether you’re going to take part in the demonstration (don’t skip classes, please), if you’d like to express your protest against limiting women’s rights – don’t forget to wear black clothes!
The second round of electronic enrolment for the university-wide variable courses
Dear Students, The second round of electronic enrolment for the university-wide variable courses in the summer semester of the academic year 2023/2024 starts on Friday, March 01, 2024. The courses, as in the previous registration, were divided into three groups:...
Festival of cultures
Festival of culturesDear Students! We are delighted to inform you about the upcoming event at the University of Opole - the "Festival of cultures" which will take place at the end of April or the beginning of May. The purpose of this event is to collectively...
online conference “The Development of Best Practices in Doctors of Philosophy Training”
Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University kindly invites their international colleagues to participate in the upcoming conference "The Development of Best Practices in Doctors of Philosophy Training". The conference will be conducted in an ONLINE format. All...
Workshop on disabilities and accessibility
We would like to invite you to register for workshops on disabilities and accessibility, organized within the project Open University of Opole – building capacity for internationalization funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange in the Welcome to...
Registration for workshops on multiculturalism and cultural intelligence
We would like to invite everyone to register for workshops on cultural intelligence and multiculturalism, organized within the project Open University of Opole – building capacity for internationalization funded by the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange in...
Token registration for foreign language courses and exams
SJO invites all students to read the terms and conditions of registration for summer semester language courses and registration for foreign language exams in the summer session. The registration is conducted on the USOSweb platform in student's section >...
English Preparatory Courses
We would like to invite everyone to join our preparatory courses scheduled for 2024. We currently offer two courses: B2 Intensive English Preparatory Course and B2 Pre-sessional September Course. More information about the courses, the registration guide as well as...
wyniki konkursu KA171 – wnioskowanie 2023
Szanowni Państwo, przedstawiamy wyniki konkursu wniosków KA171 z roku 2023. Poniższy plik PDF przedstawia przyznane Uniwersytetowi Opolskiemu mobilności, w podziale na kraje i rodzaje mobilności. WYNIKI KA171 2023 More News
wewnętrzny nabór wniosków do KA171 (call 2024)
Szanowni Państwo, Zapraszamy do włączenia się w tworzenie wniosku o realizację mobilności studentów i pracowników z/do tzw. państw trzecich niestowarzyszonych z Programem Erasmus+ „Mobilność studentów i pracowników instytucji szkolnictwa wyższego wspierana przez...
Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
The International Students Office would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a New Year filled with love, joy, and cherished moments with your loved ones. We hope that the 2023 was a pleasant year for all of you and that 2024 will only be better. . Stay healthy...