This address is secret. And 200 women have already found help here
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– The lady who called us from Krakow found a very unprofessional and unempathetic doctor. She reported to the emergency room that she had been raped, and the doctor replied that she had to come back with a policeman and only then would she be given help. We hear from many women that the way the system treated them was worse than what the perpetrator did to her, says Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar from Feminoteka. The first help center in Poland for people who have experienced rape has already helped over 200 women within a year.
If you are experiencing emotional problems and would like advice or support, here you will find a list of organizations offering professional help. In a situation of immediate threat to life, call 997 or 112.
- The trial of Dorian S. begins, accused of the brutal rape and murder of 25-year-old Liza. The crime shocked Polish society.
- Every year, the police receive one and a half thousand reports of rape. According to aid foundations, the number of rapes may be up to 10 times higher.
- A report by the Foundation for Equality and Emancipation STER from 2016 entitled “Breaking the taboo – rights of victims of sexual violence in Poland” states that assault by a stranger accounts for only 8 percent of all reports. More than 80 percent of rape survivors knew their perpetrator (22 percent of women experienced rape by a partner and 63 percent by a former partner). Sexual violence most often occurs in one's own home, with 55 percent of rapes occurring there.
- The only comprehensive point of assistance for people who have experienced rape has been operating in the capital for over a year. The phones even ring from abroad.
- What do women mainly ask about? Joanna Gzyra-Iskandar: “The system failed them.”
- It still happens: “The police asked if it was so bad that they had to rush to the police station!!!
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