Association Konin Congress of Women, Konin, Poland
Informal Group One Billion Rising Płock, Płock, Poland
Informal Group One Billion Rising Wałbrzych, Wałbrzych, Poland
Although the scale of sexual violence is huge, this topic is still a taboo in Poland, and little has changed over the years in terms of protection and support for those with experience of rape. Research conducted in 2016 by the Ster Foundation showed that more than 23% of women have experienced attempted rape and more than 22% of women have been raped. Unfortunately, institutions are part of the problem. Still more than 30 per cent of police officers and 20 per cent of prosecutors do not believe that bringing about sexual intercourse by violence is rape. Representatives of the judiciary, police and medical services have little knowledge of the experience and psyche of people with experience of rape. Furthermore, they reproduce myths and stereotypes, contributing to the secondary victimisation of victims of violence. This is one of the reasons why the vast majority of women do not report rape to the police.
The project carried out a variety of diverse but complementary activities including raising awareness on countering sexual violence and supporting people after experiencing rape. The Project Promoter developed the Women’s Anti-Violence Network, which it coordinates. Organisers of local One Billion Rising dance actions attended training on sexual violence against women (legal and psychological aspects), as well as a workshop on how to conduct trainings. 30 female activists also participated in an integration meeting. Monitoring of the websites of aid institutions was also carried out in terms of the availability of information posted there on violence against women, especially sexual violence. A report was produced based on the monitoring of 1,000 websites. The project also included an educational component. A total of 4 workshops were held for services and institutions on how to deal with women after experiencing sexual violence, including rape. A total of 246 people participated in the trainings. 8 WenDo workshops on self-defence and assertiveness were held for women and girls in 6 localities. These activities were accompanied by various local social actions “My Name is Billion/One Billion Rising” or a mobile exhibition on intimate consent. A campaign entitled ‘We defend the Istanbul Convention’ was conducted to raise public awareness of the Convention.
The project resulted in the development and strengthening of the Women’s Anti-Violence Network. The project influenced the sense of empowerment and involvement of local female coordinators. During the implementation of the activities, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine took place, resulting in the arrival of hundreds of thousands of women from Ukraine, including those after experiencing sexual violence and rape. Many local coordinators supported each other and helped their colleagues in activism by exchanging knowledge, information and contacts. The knowledge and competence of representatives of the judiciary, services and aid institutions in protecting and supporting women with experience of rape was also improved.
