BETWEEN RIGHTS AND VALUES. ON THE POLISH NONCOMPLIANCE WITH THE ISTANBUL CONVENTION

Abstract

Data provided by the Police of the Republic of Poland reveal that nearly 250,000 persons are affected by domestic violence annually. Between 400 and 500 women die as a result thereof. The Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence of 2011 (Istanbul Convention) is a result of joint efforts undertaken by European States in order to protect women and other victims of domestic violence. The paper elaborates on the impact of the Istanbul Convention on the domestic practice in the Republic of Poland. The aim of this part is to outline the practical importance of the treaty. I present amendments made to the Polish legal system since ratification of the Treaty and discuss the impact of the Istanbul Convention on the Polish legal system, and practice. The paper discusses the findings of the research against the theoretical background, by use of the main assumptions of Integrated Theory by Oona Hathaway.

Keywords

• Domestic Violence
• Integrated theory
• Istanbul Convention
• Poland
• Women