ABSTRACT

Poland ratified the Istanbul Convention in 2015 after a heated public and political debate that focused on provisions of the Convention stipulating State Parties’ obligations regarding the change of cultural patterns and gender stereotyping. Thereby, the Istanbul Convention became one of the key elements of the so-called “war on gender” between conservative and liberal movements. Other legal implications of the Polish accession remained overshadowed. Four years later, in the middle of the backlash against gender equality, human rights and democracy in Poland, the situation remains unchanged, if not worse. Endangered by the risk of withdrawal, the Convention is still a subject of ideological rather than of substantive discussion. The chapter examines to what extent, despite these unfavourable circumstances, the Convention has been a tool of real changes in Polish law and practice, particularly with regard to sexual and domestic violence.