A/HRC/21/14
9.
With regard to children's rights, the delegation noted the amendment to the
Counteracting Domestic Violence Act, adopted in 2010, which completely banned corporal
punishment administered by persons who exercise parental authority or act as guardians or
care for minors.
10.
In order to promote women's participation in public life, a quota system had been
introduced in the electoral law. To further promote gender equality and to improve the
work-family life balance, the Labour Code was amended in 2010 to enable fathers,
including adoptive fathers, to take paternity leave.
11.
Regarding the rights of persons with disabilities, legal regulations that enable their
full participation in public and social life, including in democratic processes, were passed.
12.
In order to address the challenges, including those reflected in the recommendations
received from international monitoring bodies, Poland had put particular emphasis on the
improvement of the conditions in prison and detention centres; the decrease in length of
court proceedings and pretrial detentions; human rights training for law enforcement
officials; the fight of discrimination against minorities and the promotion of gender
equality.
13.
The delegation thanked countries that had submitted advanced questions and gave
answers to some of them.
14.
On the question made by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
regarding activities to promote equality and inclusion of members of underprivileged
groups, including persons with disabilities and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual
(LGBT) community, Poland had been preparing a National Action Plan for Equal
Treatment for the years 2012–2017, which includes measures to counteract intolerance.
Since 2011, a project to counteract discrimination on all grounds at all levels of the
Government administration, and which includes training to public servants and public
campaigns had been implemented. Poland had been preparing a series of trainings for
media representatives, co-financed by the European Union. It had also engaged in a Council
of Europe project “Fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity”, to be implemented in 2013.
15.
Regarding Slovenia’s question on the results of programmes to encourage
participation of women in the labour market, Poland gave priority to actions aimed at
providing equal opportunities to men and women, in particular to women belonging to
underprivileged groups. Programmes supporting women's entrepreneurship, facilitating
work-family balance and promoting active fatherhood were cited.
16.
Responding to questions made by Sweden and the United Kingdom, on measures to
ensure that the legal protection of children was commonly known and to tackle domestic
violence, the delegation noted that the greatest importance was attached to the protection of
victims, especially children, and to the change of behaviours of perpetrators of violence
trough information campaigns and corrective and educational programmes. Under the
amendment to the Act on Countering Domestic Violence of 2010, that introduced the ban
on the use of corporal punishment of children, the Ombudsman for Children’s Rights was
obliged to submit to the Parliament a report on the results of the implementation of the Act.
The year 2012 was the Year of Janusz Korczak – Polish pre-war promoter of raising
children without violence.
17.
With regard to Norway’s question on measures to review the 1984 Press Law, to
attune it to the new media reality, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage had been
working on a project to amend the Law, which included a number of postulates put forward
by journalists.
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