On 7 February, after familiarizing itself with the positions of the government and non-governmental organizations, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women issued concluding comments, in which it made reference to the government’s policy and presented its recommendations. (14-FEB-07)
Source: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/
Written by Marta Lempicka/HRH Warsaw
The UN Committee drew attention to the lack of general antidiscrimination law in the Polish legislation, which would define discrimination against women in accordance with Article 1 of the Convention. It also expressed concern in connection with the dissolution of the position of Government Plenipotentiary for the Equal Status of Women and Men, as well as the insufficient representation of women in public and political life – few women hold decision-making positions, inter alia within the structures of the Parliament, the government and local authorities. CEDAW also raised the problem of violence against women and trafficking in human beings, thereby indicating legislative shortcomings, and called on the Polish
authorities to resolve them. The Committee appealed for the government to pay attention to the access barriers women encounter on the labor market and to give priority to this issue in its actions. According to the Committee, the Polish authorities should guarantee equal opportunities for women and men on the labor market in Poland, as well as decrease and eliminate the differences in salaries. The Committee also referred to the problem of the underground abortion in Poland. It ordered the authorities to investigate the scale of this phenomenon and to ensure the possibility to perform an abortion in cases permitted by the law.
