Police handbook for women
On 3rd of October 2009 we issued a letter to the Chief Police Commandant Andrzej Matejuk and to the Polish Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Grzegorz Schetyna. The letter asked for intervention on the "Police handbook for women" published on the Internet service of the Regional Police Headquarters in Wroclaw.
The "Human Project" Foundation would like to express its anxiety on the contents of informational materials published on the Internet service ran by the Regional Police Headquarters in Wroclaw, particularly on the contents of "Police handbook for women" which, in our opinion, strengthens stereotypes, treats women as objects instead of providing guidance and help.
Deliberate escalation of fear of violence instead of increasing efficiency of activities aimed at offenders violate the freedom of choice and cripple lives of many people. Women are afraid of going out in the evenings ("do not visit the town, especially after the sunset") and talk to strangers ("do not trust people and do not be too open to strangers"). Girls are taught to be humble ("boys at this age are very excitable- do not provoke them"), modest ("even innocent jokes can be understood by your friend in a totally different way") and not to be self-assertive and able to fight for one's rights ("always look for the company of other people, if possible"). Women are expected to oppose violence with determination- if a woman does not defend herself, we cannot call an offence a rape ("drunk woman means lost virginity").
It is unacceptable to justify male violence towards women and to shift responsibility onto a victim ("your daring look can be treated as invitation to brief but fruitful acquaintance"). The knowledge of situations involving risks of violent behaviour ("do not provoke men you do not know- discos and clubs evoke unequivocal associations") cannot be equivalent to accusing women of provocation and contributing to the commitment of a crime ("Your appearance and behaviour usually affect the possible dangerous situation"). The way we look and the time we return home cannot justify a potential offender and decline responsibility for the committed crime.
The most unpleasant thing is that all the opinions cited above do not belong to unknown Internet users but to the official Internet service of the Regional Police Headquarters in Wroclaw. Police is considered the most important uniformed service in the country and plays a vital role as for the observance of law. At the same time, we have a right to expect from the Police to prevent personal beliefs, ethical standards and values of the officers from having impact on the Police performance.
In the middle of October the handbook disappeared from the Internet service of the Regional Police Headquarters in Wroclaw and a few days later we received the official reply from the Chief Police Department and The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Administration, in which the improper contents of the handbook were acknowledged. We were informed that the Prevention Department of Regional Police Headquarters together with the Representative of Regional Police Commandant of Human Rights Protection and the Department of Psychologists of the Regional Police Headquarters in Wrocław are working on a new handbook.