Anti-Racism Map: Mapping Anti-Racism Plans in Poland
In ENAR’s Evaluation of the National Action Plan against Racism (NAPAR), Poland scored 7/20. While the government adopted a clear anti-racism policy document, Poland falls alarmingly short in its successful implementation. The plan does not acknowledge the existence of structural racism or intersectional discrimination and has no allocated budget. At the same time, civil society advocates are not included in decision-making and face attacks in their work.
Overview
| Category | Score | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. NAPAR Adoption | ++ | 3/4 |
| 2. Systemic and Intersectional Approach | – | 1/3 |
| 3. Equality Data Collection | – | 1/4 |
| 4. Institutional Participatory Mechanisms | – – | 0/3 |
| 5. Human and Financial Resource Allocation | – | 1/3 |
| 6. Civil Society Coalition | – | 1/3 |
| Total Score | 7/20 |
Explanations and Sources
The assessments are based on independent research carried out for the European Network Against Racism by Anna Makowka-Kwapisiewicz. Below are the explanations and sources that support these assessments.
1. NAPAR Adoption
There is a clear policy document adopted by the government but not yet adopted by the Parliament. It has been made public.
2. Addressing Systemic Racism and Intersectionality
In regard to the definition of structural racism, there is no written sophisticated definition that would be legally binding in Poland.
In Polish law, the definitions tend to focus on the word ‘race’, which stems from the conventions on anti-racism. In this case, ‘race’ refers to skin colour.
3. Equality Data Collection
The equality data on discrimination and racism is outdated.
Records are made available by the police, but this data collection is incomplete and carried out only by the police. Data does not include cases investigated by a prosecutor’s office.
Since 2017, The National Prosecutor’s Office has stopped publishing online statistics that show the number of hate crimes. The Monitoring Center for Racist and Xenophobic Behavior submitted a lawsuit to the court requesting statistics as public information. The National Prosecutor’s Office refused, in their view, the number of crimes is not public information. The Regional Administrative Court has issued a ruling ordering the National Prosecutor’s Office to give the requested information to an organization within 14 days of the judgment becoming final. The organisation is waiting for the judgment to become final.
4. Institutional Participatory Mechanisms
There is no permanent participatory mechanism or body in Poland. Further, there exists institutional harassment and/or attacks against certain civil society organisations.
For more information, see the report (in Polish) by the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.
5. Human and Financial Resource Allocation
In regard to resources allocated to the implementation of NAPAR in Poland, there has been no budget allocated or not made public. Similarly, no team or only one person in charge has been dedicated to the implementation.
For more information, see the statement by the Commissioner for Human Rights.
6. Civil Society Coalition Advocating for NAPAR
There is currently no Civil Society Coalition, only individual organisations advocating for the NAPAR in Poland.
See the report by Klon/Jawor, an organisation that researches and supports civil society organisations in Poland.
The research was carried out by Anna Makowka-Kwapisiewicz in March 2023.
