For the Women’s Day – we wish for respect

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!