Newsletter 12-18 July 2016
MOST IMPORTANT MATTERS
"Both parents are responsible for their child": The Ministry of Family announces a public campaign
Responding to the request of the Alimony Team, the Ministry of Family announces that it will carry out a public campaign convincing to pay maintenance in autumn. The campaign will be led together with social partners, including the "Dla Naszych Dzieci" Association [learn more].
International Prisoners' Rights Day
In the International Prisoners' Rights Day, the Commissioner for Human Rights reminds why is it so important to maintain human rights standards in places of detention [learn more].
Violence at the police station in Siedlce – current developments
The Commissioner is monitoring the case of using tortures at the police station in Siedlce. The accused officers are currently on trial [learn more].
THE COMMISSIONER ON CITIZENS' MATTERS
Children from orphanages without 500+?
Why don't children from state orphanages receive the 500+ benefit? – the Commissioner asks the Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy. The Commissioner heard about the matter during a regional meeting in Wschowa [learn more].
The effect of the regional meeting: motion to the Minister of Family concerning family assistants
During the regional meetings in the Lubusz Voivodeship, the citizens informed the Commissioner of a problem concerning the effectiveness of aid provided by family assistants. The Commissioner approached the Minister of Family in this matter [learn more].
Access to legal abortion procedure
As reported by the media, in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship there are no healthcare institutions performing medical abortions in cases permitted by the law. The Commissioner approached the Patients' Ombudsman in this matter [learn more].
The court fixes a mistake following the Commissioner's intervention
A convict was improperly instructed about the right to appeal against the decision of a penitentiary judge to refuse a court-appointed attorney [learn more].
Voivodeship Administrative Court upholds the Commissioner's complaint on individual tax interpretation
The case concerns an interpretation of provisions on the establishment of tax obligation within five years after the sale of real estate [learn more].
Fees for waste collection from recreational properties
The Minister of the Environment agrees with the Commissioner on the need to amend the provisions concerning the flat-rate fee for waste collection from recreational properties [learn more].
SOCIETY
The situation of Roma immigrant communities in Poznań
A meeting on the situation of Roma migrants was held at the Poznań City Hall on the initiative of the Commissioner for Human Rights [learn more].
Cases of foreigners who have been refused the right to enter the territory of Poland
The Commissioner decided to investigate the case of non-admission of the Ukrainian band Ot Vinta to Poland. Earlier, the Commissioner intervened in a similar case, when Border Guard officers refused a family from Angola to grant the right to enter the territory of Poland [learn more].
The Commissioner's intervention regarding a disturbance during a solemn Greek Catholic and Orthodox procession in Przemyśl
The Commissioner will investigate a disturbance during a solemn procession organised by a Greek Catholic and Orthodox church, commemorating the soldiers of the Ukrainian People's Army and the Ukrainian Galician Army buried at the Ukrainian Military Cemetery in Pikulice [learn more].
How many perpetrators of domestic violence have been forced to move out?
Every year, more than 1,000 perpetrators of domestic violence receive a court eviction order. The trials take six months, on average, from the first hearing; the statistics do not show that the courts get more efficient at it – according to data provided by the Ministry of Justice [learn more].
Proposal to create alimony tables
The Commissioner approached the Minister of Justice to consider the proposal made by the judges of family courts concerning the utilization of the German model, in which alimony tables are created along with simplified procedures and referring the cases to judicial officers [learn more].
Parental abduction and detention
This problem is getting more and more common in Poland, therefore the Commissioner for Human Rights requested the Minister of Justice to improve the work of family courts [learn more].
Response of the Minister of Health on amendments to the Act on the Protection of Mental Health
For many years the Commissioner has been trying to ensure better observance of the rights of persons placed in psychiatric hospitals. The response given by the Minister of Health to the recent Commissioner's motion is optimistic [learn more].
Age restrictions for KSAP students
In accordance with the Act on the National School of Public Administration (KSAP), only people under the age of 32 may become students of this school. Such a restriction may constitute a violation of the principle of equal treatment. The Commissioner asked the Head of Civil Service for a statement [learn more].
The lack of access to questions from medical exams and the right to public information
The Commissioner approached the Minister of Health concerning the lack of access to questions from past state exams: National Medical Exam and National Dental/Medical Exam [learn more].
Publishing press by local self-government authorities
In the opinion of the Commissioner, local self-government units should only publish bulletins that contain objective information, useful for the local community, publications promoting the local government, as well as official communications [learn more].
Recruitment fees for higher studies
The Ministry of Science and Higher Education is considering how to solve the problem of excessive fees [learn more].
Financial problems of youth educational centres
After the amendment, the subsidy amount depends on the number of pupils staying in the centre on September 30, while young people are admitted all year round. The Commissioner has approached the Minister of National Education in this regard [learn more].
Oral matriculation exam in Polish language
During the oral matriculation exam students draw a single question. Therefore, the exam does not provide a fully conclusive picture of the student's knowledge or skills. This is one of the problems raised in the Commissioner's motion to the Minister of National Education concerning the oral matriculation exam [learn more].
LAW
The right to stand for election for a Commune Head
The provisions of the Act on Local Government Employees and those of the Electoral Code are inconsistent in terms of the right to stand for election for a Commune Head (Mayor, President). The Commissioner approached the Sejm Self-Government and Regional Policy Committee with a request to consider amendments to the law [learn more].
CT: procedures for the examination of prisoners' complaints are consistent with the Constitution
The Constitutional Tribunal did not share the Commissioner's reservations concerning the principles for the examination of complains lodged by people detained in prisons and detention centres (K 28/15) [learn more].
CHRONICLE
On human rights at Przystanek Woodstock
This year, the representatives of the Commissioner for Human Rights attended Przystanek Woodstock for the seventh time [learn more]. As part of the Academy of Finer Arts one could listen to the conversation between the Commissioner for Human Rights dr Adam Bodnar and Michał Wawrzyniak on hate speech in the Internet [learn more].
On homelessness and public information – the Commissioner's interns discuss with experts
The problems of people during the homelessness crisis and access to public information were the main subjects of meetings between interns from the Office of the Commissioner and the representatives of non-governmental organisations, which were held on 14 July [learn more].
The Commissioner for Human Rights in social media
We invite you to watch and subscribe to the channel of the Commissioner for Human Rights on YouTube. There you will find, among others, reports from regional meetings and conversations with employees of the Office of the Commissioner. We also encourage you to visit the profile of Regional Meetings with the Commissioner for Human Rights on Facebook. Reports from the Commissioner's activities are also posted on Instagram.