Newsletter 8 -14 November 2016
THE COMMISSIONER ON CITIZENS’ ISSUES
Cooperation between the UK and Poland in the field of education should be strengthened
This is one of the conclusions of Adam Bodnar’s visit to London, held as a result of the attacks on Poles living in the UK. The Commissioner has forwarded an application on the matter to the Minister of Education [more].
The case of childbirth in Starachowice. The Commissioner’s inquiries to the Prosecutor’s Office, the National Health Fund and the Ministry of Health
According to media reports, a patient at a hospital in Starachowice delivered a child on the floor between beds, without any assistance or medical supervision. The Commissioner has requested explanations [more].
The CHR joins the proceedings relating to the President’s refusal to appoint judges
The three judges to whom the President, in June 2016, refused appointment to the positions of judges or to other higher positions, without stating the reason for the refusal, filed a joint complaint with the Regional Administrative Court in Warsaw. The Commissioner has joined the administrative court procedure [more].
Telephone use by persons deprived of liberty
The CHR Office receives prisoners’ complaints concerning the use of payphones at the penitentiary institutions. The complaints relate e.g. to excessively high call rates, and the impossibility to connect to numbers starting with 0-800 and to make reverse change calls. The Commissioner has sent an inquiry to Director General of the Prison Service [more].
LEGISLATION
Public administration entities’ limited accessibility to deaf persons
The CHR’s Office keeps receiving information that almost 25% of public administration entities fail to meet their obligations under the Act on Sign Language to provide appropriate services to deaf persons; the number rises to almost 75% in the case of deaf-blind persons. The Commissioner has referred the issue to the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Team for Deaf Persons [more].
Poland should ratify the 3rd Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child
The Commissioner has requested the Minister of Foreign Affairs to present the Ministry’s position on the ratification of the third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child [more].
State's obligations towards patients suffering from rare diseases
Measures taken by the Ministry of Health to help patients with rare diseases, and the implementation schedule of the National Plan for Rare Diseases have been the subjects of the CHR’s inquiry to the Minister of Health [more].
How to implement the FATCA agreement?
In September, the Commissioner received a comprehensive answer from the Minister of Finance with regard to the implementation of the FATCA agreement. However, not all doubts were explained. The CHR asked the minister to provide additional information and forwarded a related inquiry to the Chairman of the Financial Supervision Commission [more].
Principles of conducting high-school exit examinations
The CHR has sent to the Ministry of Education an inquiry relating to the principles of high-school exit examinations in Polish and in foreign languages [more].
THE CHRONICLE
Discussion on labour law and social security
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Poland’s membership in the Council of Europe, the CHR Office organized a conference The European Social Charter: Challenges and Opportunities. Polish and foreign experts discussed, e.g., the need to ratify the Revised European Social Charter of 1996 [more].
Awards for supporting sustainable development
During the SDG for Poland gala, Ludwik Wiśniewski, a Dominican order father was awarded a statuette for an Architect of Sustainable Development. The prize was handed over by Commissioner for Human Rights Adam Bodnar [more].
The situation of persons seeking international protection in Poland
The actual situation at the Polish border crossings in Terespol and Medyka was discussed by representatives of the Border Guard, the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, and non-governmental organizations at the seminar held at the CHR Office [more].
The Independence Day
On the occasion of the National Independence Day, Commissioner for Human Rights Adam Bodnar took part in the ceremonial Change of Guard and a meeting with Poland’s President Andrzej Duda.
Rights of animals
The CHR’s activities relating to the issue of odour nuisance from farms as well as animal rights protection were discussed by the CHR’s representative at the conference Słupsk - animals have a voice here [more].